A late-night bandit attack has left four people dead and two others kidnapped in Kokodo village, located in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The tragic incident occurred on Thursday night, around 11:40 p.m., when armed men suspected to be bandits stormed the quiet community, opening fire on residents. The primary target of the attack appeared to be a group of local hunters who tried to resist the intruders.
According to a local resident who witnessed the incident, three hunters were killed on the spot, while another individual who sustained serious gunshot wounds died on Friday morning while receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.
“They came in the night when everyone had gone to bed. The hunters tried to stop them, but they were outnumbered and outgunned,” the resident said.
The attackers also abducted two community members before escaping into the bush. The identities of the victims — both those killed and those kidnapped have not been made public as of the time of this report.
The latest attack has sent shockwaves through Kokodo and neighbouring villages, adding to the growing anxiety in Kwara North, which has experienced increasing cases of banditry and violent attacks in recent months.
Residents say Kokodo and nearby communities have been living in fear due to the repeated threats posed by armed groups. Some locals expressed frustration over what they described as limited government presence and slow security response in the area.
“This is not the first time we are facing such attacks. We keep calling for help, but it feels like nobody is listening,” one elderly villager lamented.
Community leaders and youth groups in the area have now renewed calls for increased security presence, especially the deployment of military or mobile police units to protect rural areas from further attacks.
“We need government to act fast. These people are killing us, and we are not safe even in our own homes,” another resident said.
So far, the Kwara State Police Command has not released an official statement on the incident, and it remains unclear whether any arrests have been made or efforts are ongoing to rescue the kidnapped victims.
Banditry, once mostly associated with the North West, has in recent years spread into parts of the North Central region, including Kwara, Niger, and Kogi States, putting thousands of rural dwellers at risk.
