Less than 48 hours after three worshippers were killed and 15 others abducted in Kwara State, another set of 10 persons have been reported kidnapped following a coordinated overnight attack on the Yashikira Emir’s palace in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State.
According to the Kwara State Police Command, the attackers struck around 2 a.m. on Monday, simultaneously targeting the Yashikira Police Divisional Headquarters and the Emir’s palace.
Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the police spokesperson, said the gunmen set part of the palace on fire during the operation, while abducting 10 victims and whisking them away to an unknown location.
“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,” the statement said.
“During the attack, part of the palace was set ablaze, while ten people were abducted and taken to an unknown destination. However, the attack on the police station was successfully repelled by police operatives on duty.”
The command said the Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, has ordered a full-scale, intelligence-driven operation involving security agencies, including the military, vigilantes, and forest guards, to rescue the victims and track down the attackers.
Police, however, assured residents that security operations had been intensified across vulnerable areas of the state, with ongoing surveillance, intelligence gathering, and bush-combing exercises.
The Commissioner of Police warned that the command would not be intimidated by criminal groups operating in the state.
“These criminals have declared war against peace-loving citizens, and we are fully prepared to hunt them down relentlessly,” he said, adding that all available operational resources would be deployed to rescue the abducted victims.
