ILORIN, NIGERIA — A fresh wave of violent terror has struck Kwara State, leaving a traditional palace in ruins and ten people abducted, just 48 hours after a fatal raid on a local prayer ground.
In an audacious midnight operation, heavily armed gunmen launched a simultaneous attack on the palace of the Emir of Yashikira and a nearby police divisional headquarters in the Baruten Local Government Area.
According to an official statement released by the Kwara State Police Command spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the highly coordinated strike occurred at approximately 2:00 a.m. on Monday.
“The armed criminals, in a coordinated and desperate assault at about 0200hrs, simultaneously attacked the Yashikira Police Divisional Headquarters and the Palace of the Emir of Yashikira,” Ejire-Adeyemi confirmed.
While alert police operatives successfully fought off the assault on the divisional headquarters, the gunmen overran sections of the royal residence. “During the attack, part of the palace was set ablaze, while ten people were abducted and taken to an unknown destination,” the police spokesperson added. Local reports indicate the abductees include members of the traditional ruler’s immediate household.
In immediate response to the escalating crisis, the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, CP Ojo Adekimi, has ordered a massive, intelligence-driven tactical deployment.
A joint security task force consisting of the police, military personnel, forest guards, and local vigilante groups has launched aggressive bush-combing operations, sweeping surrounding forests and suspected criminal hideouts to secure the safe release of the victims.
Commissioner Adekimi issued a fierce warning to the bandit networks operating along the state’s borders, declaring that the command will not bow to terror or intimidation.
“These criminals have declared war against peace-loving citizens, and we are fully prepared to hunt them down relentlessly,” Adekimi stated. “We will deploy everything within our operational capacity to smoke them out of hiding, dismantle their networks, rescue all abducted victims, and ensure they face the full wrath of the law.”
Gunmen Burn Kwara Palace, Abduct 10 in Brazen Midnight Assault