Gunmen Attack Kwara Community, Kill Five Including Police Officer

Tragedy struck Babanla community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State on Friday when armed gunmen stormed the town, killing five people, including a police officer, Adejumo Wasiu.

According to the Kwara State Police Command, the attackers numbering in their hundreds and riding on motorcycles launched a coordinated assault on the community, targeting the Divisional Police Headquarters and raiding the market. Witnesses say the attack sent residents fleeing to neighbouring villages in search of safety.

Police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday, revealing that the gunmen fired indiscriminately, leaving multiple casualties. However, a swift joint operation involving the Nigerian Army, police operatives, the Department of State Services (DSS), local vigilantes, and hunters successfully repelled the assault, restored order, and began a manhunt for the perpetrators.

Following the incident, Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, alongside the Director of DSS in the state, visited Babanla for an on-the-spot assessment. The security chiefs met with the town’s traditional ruler, Oba Yusuf Aliyu Alabi Arojojoye II, holding high-level discussions on strengthening inter-agency cooperation and community-based security.

The delegation also toured key locations, including the market, the police station, and surrounding areas, to ensure stability had been restored. The police commissioner has since ordered sustained armed patrols, continuous intelligence gathering, and the deployment of specialised tracking teams, while the DSS pledged ongoing intelligence support to apprehend all those involved.

The Kwara Police Command urged residents to remain calm, vigilant, and cooperative, stressing its unwavering commitment together with other security agencies—to safeguarding lives and property across the state.