Suspected bandits on Friday evening unleashed terror on Adanla community, a suburb of Igbaja in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting seven persons and leaving one woman injured.
The attack, which occurred around 7pm on December 26, 2025, sent shockwaves through the agrarian settlement as residents scampered for safety.
Elder Olaitan Oyin-Zubair, a community leader in Igbaja and Coordinator of the Kwara South Joint Community Security Watch Network, confirmed the raid to our correspondent on Saturday.
According to him, the gunmen, numbering several dozens, stormed the community shooting sporadically and moving from house to house in a reign of terror.
“At about 7:30pm, we received a distress call from Adanla-Irese that bandits had invaded the community,” Oyin-Zubair said.
He said local security operatives immediately mobilised hunters and vigilantes, while the Brigade Commander of the 22 Armoured Brigade deployed troops to the troubled community.
“Two truckloads of soldiers arrived to support our men. But sadly, the bandits had already whisked away eight persons and shot a woman before help came,” he stated.
Our correspondent gathered that several residents sustained injuries while fleeing, as many families abandoned their homes for nearby bushes and neighbouring communities.
When contacted, the Kwara State Police Command spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said she was awaiting a detailed briefing on the incident.
“I got the information last night but I’m yet to be properly briefed. I will get back to you once I have details,” she told The PUNCH.