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Inside bandit bloody attack that emptied Kwara community

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On Sunday, September 28, residents of Oke-Ode, a quiet agrarian town in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, woke up to the staccato of gunfire.

What followed was not just another bandit attack, it was a massacre that shattered the town’s soul.

When the smoke cleared, no fewer than 15 people were confirmed dead— hunters, vigilantes, traders, a traditional leader and young men who had been the community’s first line of defence.

Families were kidnapped, entire compounds emptied, and hundreds of residents fled in panic.

They abandoned farmlands, shops, and schools.

Oke-Ode, once considered the safest town in the Igbomina axis, is now deserted.

Markets that once buzzed with traders are silent, sachet water sellers have disappeared, and bread is no longer available.

Fear is now the only currency that circulates in the town.

Some of those who died in the incident were identified as the Baale of Ogba Ayo, Abdulwasiu Abdulkareem; his brother, Fatai Abdulkareem; a prince from Agunjin, Ishola Muhammed; and Abdulfatai Elemosho from Babaloma.

Others are Salaudeen Bashir from Babaloma; Saheed from Abayan; Olowo-Ila  from Oke-Ode, Oluode Ologomo, Oji and Saheed Matubi.

We gave the attackers fire for fire  – Hunter

Amid the grief, survivors pointed to what they described as a suspicious security lapse.

It was first a grieving widow who accused men of the Department of State Services of complicity in the attack.

She alleged that the operatives disarmed the hunters and gave the guns to the herdsmen.

 

 

But Rafiu Ajakaye, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said there was no truth to the claim.

He also noted that the leadership of the forest guards had disputed the claim.

But a local hunter, who narrowly escaped death and spoke on condition of anonymity, insisted that their guns were taken away before the bandits struck.

He also narrated how hunters confronted the hoodlums, who carried sophisticated guns.

The hunter said, “It is someone who has not seen a real fight that calls himself a man. It was a tough battle. Those people came with sophisticated weapons. We tried our best, but we were overwhelmed. We gave them fire for fire; the bandits were many.

“A military officer had collected most of our guns the previous day, saying he wanted to service them. Immediately, he collected the guns, he kept them in the house with bullets. He slept at Ajase, and maybe it was one of those supplying the guns that hinted them that the guns had been recovered from us, and that they should start coming.

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“That was the way I thought about it because since the guns were given to us, nobody attacked us. But it was the day he collected the guns and bullets for servicing that those people attacked. That looked suspicious.

“The remaining guns we had to protect ourselves were not enough at all. If the guns had not been collected and everything was available, they wouldn’t have been able to do that. They were able to attack us because we had insufficient guns and bullets.”

‘I hid in the roof while baale, brother were killed’

At Ógba-Ayo Quarters, one of the bloodiest flashpoints of the invasion, tragedy struck at the home of Abdulwasiu, the leader of the community.

A relative, who asked not to be named for security reasons, recounted the horror in a trembling voice.

“It was early in the morning, and I was sleeping when I started hearing gunshots,” he said.

“I quickly climbed the roof to hide. After about 30 minutes, I came down and saw my brother — the baale – his younger brother, and son lying dead in a pool of blood. Their bodies were riddled with bullets.”

The local chief left behind two wives and six other children, all now in hiding.

“There is no one left in Ógba Ayo. We don’t know if we will ever return to our homes or what the future holds for us,” the source lamented.

From hiding, another resident, Gbemisola Muhammed, popularly called Yeye Oge, still trembles when she recalls her husband’s final words.

“On Saturday night, he told me not to travel after dark because he had a premonition,” she told Saturday PUNCH.

“He went for a hunters’ meeting the next morning. He was not on duty that day, so he didn’t carry a gun. That was the last time I heard his voice.”

By Sunday, her husband, Prince Ishola Muhammed, was dead.

He was ambushed alongside his younger brother and brother-in-law. The attackers were said to have attempted to abduct his sister-in-law, who narrowly escaped.

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“My mother-in-law had just returned from hajj. The bandits asked after her too. They eventually left with my sister-in-law’s bag and phones,” Gbemisola said.

Her husband was not just a hunter; he was a protector of the people.

“Now, I am a widow,” she said.

For 27-year-old Rilwan Tajudeen, the pain of loss remains raw.

His father, a charcoal dealer, had only gone to Oke-Ode to buy goods when the bullets found him.

“My father was not a hunter. He was returning from the market when they shot him and the motorcycle rider carrying him,” Rilwan said.

“I carried him in a pool of blood. Six bullets were removed from his body. He died in my hands. I don’t know how to continue without him.”

Rilwan has since abandoned the only home he knew.

Families wiped out, babies kidnapped

Saturday PUNCH gathered that in Dabu village, a man identified as Taiye, his wife, and their two-month-old baby were kidnapped.

A popular doctor known as Baba Gold was also abducted along with his wife and two children.

“They killed Oluode Ologomo, a powerful hunter whose charms used to protect him. They stripped him of his amulets before shooting him. They wanted to make a statement that nobody is safe,” another resident said.

In Alade village, a Bororo man and a Hausa trader were reportedly killed before the bandits advanced into Oke-Ode.

No fewer than 15 people were killed.

A youth leader, Sesan Okeleye, lamented that the hunters died while serving without any form of remuneration.

“They were killed like chickens because their weapons were taken away under the guise of repairs. Somebody somewhere knows what is happening.”

Another indigene, Sunmonu Jamiu, added, “People here know the bandits’ hideouts. The soldiers too know. Why are they not going into the forests to flush them out? Until they do, we are not safe.”

Exodus in 200 vehicles

By midweek, Oke-Ode had emptied.

From Ajase-Ipo Junction down to the affected villages, residents carried bags of clothes and food as they boarded buses.

Commercial drivers confirmed that more than 200 vehicles evacuated residents between Sunday and Wednesday.

“The whole town has emptied,” one driver said. “It is possible the criminals will now take over after killing the Baale and the vigilantes.”

Even institutions were not spared. At the School of Nursing in Oke-Ode, where about 700 students were enrolled, classrooms and hostels stood empty.

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Students were hurriedly relocated to Ilorin for safety.

“We could not take chances with their safety,” said Dr. Nasirudeen Tajudeen, a senior lecturer. “Accommodation has been secured in Ilorin. Academic work will continue there.”

The  Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, told Saturday PUNCH that the command had scaled up joint operations with other forces to restore normalcy.

She said, “We are not leaving anything to chance. The Kwara State Police Command, in synergy with the Nigerian Army, the Office of the National Security Adviser, and our sister agencies, is intensifying operations to ensure calm is restored to the hinterlands and the bandits terrorising our people are routed out.”

Kwara to set up task force, says gov

Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, vowed to ensure justice for the forest guards, hunters, and community leader killed in the attack.

The governor, in a statement posted on X on Friday, also announced plans to set up a civilian task force to bolster local security and tackle the growing wave of kidnappings and violent attacks across the state.

He said he held an emergency security meeting with stakeholders from Edu and Patigi LGAs on Thursday night.

He noted that the new civilian outfit would be drawn from local communities, adequately trained, and supported to work closely with conventional security agencies.

The governor explained that the task force would complement existing security structures, while its modalities would be fine-tuned in consultation with stakeholders to guarantee sustainability.

During the meeting, he noted that discussions also focused on supporting victims of past attacks, upgrading infrastructure at the College of Education (Technical), Lafiagi, and improving power supply across the Edu–Patigi axis.

Expressing grief over the Oke Ode tragedy, the governor described the slain men as heroes who laid down their lives for the safety of others.

“They will not die in vain. Beyond our solidarity and planned support for their families, we will not spare the criminals behind their deaths,” he said.

 

 

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Crime

PHOTOS: NDLEA Nabs 80-Year-Old Drug Lord Again, Intercepts Tramadol-Laced Mannequins

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January 11, 2026

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Barely three years after he was arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for dealing in illicit drugs, an 80-year-old man, Jeremiah Isaiah Nkanta, has again been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for returning to the criminal trade.

Nkanta, described by the agency as a notorious drug dealer, was first arrested by NDLEA operatives on December 14, 2022, and subsequently prosecuted and convicted by a Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where he was sentenced to two years in prison.

However, findings revealed that the octogenarian, who appeared unrepentant after serving his jail term, returned to the illicit drug business.

Following credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, January 10, 2025, tracked him to his residence in Mmanta–Abak village, Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

A search of his house led to the recovery of 5.7 kilogrammes of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed within the premises.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, the agency also disclosed that its operatives recorded another major breakthrough in Akwa Ibom State with the arrest of a suspected drug trafficker using mannequins to conceal opioids.

Babafemi said NDLEA officers on patrol along the Oron–Ibaka Road in Oron Local Government Area intercepted a 37-year-old businessman, Ani Onyebuchi Romans, on Friday, January 9, while he was travelling with full-body mannequins meant for his clothing business in Cameroon.

A thorough search of the mannequins, however, revealed that they were stuffed with 5.3 kilogrammes of tramadol pills.

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According to the suspect, who claimed to reside in Cameroon, he was returning to his base after the Christmas and New Year holidays when he was apprehended.

Investigations further revealed that the drugs were purchased in Onitsha, Anambra State, and were being trafficked to Cameroon for sale using the mannequins as concealment.

In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives carried out coordinated raids across several locations, leading to the arrest of notorious drug dealers and the seizure of large quantities of illicit substances.

Among those arrested was Remi Bamidele, 45, popularly known as Aluko the Mafia, who was apprehended at Sasa area of Ibadan on Thursday, January 8.

Recovered from him were 10.696 kilogrammes of Colorado, Scottish Loud, Ghana Loud, Canadian Loud and skunk, all strains of cannabis. Two vehicles—a Toyota Venza and a Toyota Yaris with registration number HG 06 LYD-were also seized from him.

At the Adegbayi area of Ibadan, NDLEA officers arrested Adeola Toheeb, 27, on Friday, January 9, with various quantities of Colorado, Ghana Loud and skunk.

Similarly, Habeeb Ali, 29, was arrested at Ring Road, Ibadan, with 1.264kg of Colorado, Scottish Loud and skunk, alongside a cash exhibit of ₦1,307,100, recovered at the point of his arrest on Saturday, January 10.

Edo, Niger, Taraba, Adamawa busts

In Edo State, a dispatch rider, Osagbovo Edigin, 30, alongside Ebimi Labo, 28, and Akhimie Success, 25, were arrested on Friday, January 9, at Ihama/Airport Road GRA, Benin City.

The arrests followed the seizure of 118 grammes of Canadian Loud and a wrap of Colorado.

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Also in Edo, Jimoh Agbonmhegbe, 49, was arrested at Irrua with 17.552kg of Colorado, Loud and skunk, while Evelyn Okoyomon, 38, was apprehended at Ubiaja with 930 grammes of skunk on Wednesday, January 7.

In Niger State, NDLEA operatives recovered 4,000 pills of tramadol (225mg) from a 22-year-old suspect, Nazifi Umar, at Dakwa town, Tafa Local Government Area.

Similarly, in Taraba State, Yusuf Usman, 41, was arrested at Lankaviri, Yorro Local Government Area, with 100 blocks of skunk weighing 47kg.

In Adamawa State, NDLEA officers recovered 30,950 capsules of tramadol from the residence of Ugwoke Chibueze, 40, in Bachure area of Yola South Local Government Area, following his arrest at the Lamido Aliyu Mustapha International Airport, Yola, on Tuesday, January 6.

Babafemi added that the agency also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across the country in the past week.

These included sensitisation lectures at Government Day Science and Technical College, Babura, Jigawa State; Abiayubal Ansari Islamiyya School, Fagge Local Government Area of Kano State; and among youths of Oshituma Umuogudu Akpu Ngbo in Ebonyi State, among others.

While commending officers and men of the Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, Edo, Oyo and Niger commands for their efforts, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised their operational successes.

He said their achievements, “especially the balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts, are well appreciated.”

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Crime

EFCC arraigns Austrian for allegedly failing to declare $800k, €651k at Lagos airport

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2 days ago

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January 9, 2026

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday, Jan. 8, arraigned an Austrian national, Kavlak Onal, before the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos over alleged failure to declare foreign currencies totalling $800,575 and €651,505, equivalent to about N2.28 billion.

Onal was arraigned before Justice Yellim Bogoro on a two-count charge bordering on non-declaration of funds.

The prosecution counsel, Mrs Bilikisu Buhari, told the court that the defendant committed the alleged offence on December 13 during outward clearance at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, en route to Australia.

According to the prosecution, the defendant was arrested by officers of the Anti-Money Laundering Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the airport after he failed to declare the foreign currencies in his possession.

Buhari said the alleged offence is contrary to and punishable under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2022.

When the charges were read to him, the defendant pleaded not guilty to both counts.

Following his plea, the prosecution urged the court to remand the defendant in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) pending trial.

However, defendant counsel, Sterlin Imhemuro, who appeared with Temilehin Olushola, informed the court that a bail application had been filed on behalf of the defendant and served on the prosecution.
He requested that his client be remanded in EFCC custody pending the hearing and determination of the bail application.

Responding, the prosecutor confirmed receipt of the bail application at about 9:03 a.m and requested a short adjournment to enable her to study the application and file a response.

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After hearing submissions from both parties, Justice Bogoro adjourned the matter to January 16 for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the determination of the application.

The charges against the defendant read in part that on December 13, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the court, he failed to declare the sum of $800,575 to the Nigeria Customs Service at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2022.

The second count alleged that he failed to declare the sum of €651,505 at the same airport on the same date, an offence also contrary to and punishable under the same provision of the Act.

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PHOTOS: Nigerian man sentenced to d3ath in Malaysia for m8rder of his 4-year-old step-grandson

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January 9, 2026

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A Nigerian man has been sentenced to d3ath after being convicted of m8rdering his four-year-old step-grandson in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

LIB reported that Ibekwe Emeka Augustine threw the child from the third floor of an apartment building on Sunday, November 29, 2020 after he failed to rape his stepdaughter, who is the victim’s mother. Read other reports HERE and HERE

High Court judge K. Muniandy sentenced Ibekwe, 48, to d3ath on Friday, January 9, 2025 after finding him guilty of m8rder, ruling that the prosecution had proven the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

“You are sentenced to death by hanging until you are d3ad. However, you have the right to appeal against the sentence at the Court of Appeal,” the judge said.

Moments before the sentence was passed, Augustine, handcuffed and dressed in a white T-shirt and black trousers, pleaded for leniency.

“I regret everything that happened, and it will not happen again. I remember going swimming and playing football with him. Please have mercy on me. Everything is in your hands,” he said.

Augustine appeared solemn as he was led out of the courtroom. An interpreter was present throughout the proceedings.

He was charged in 2020 with m8rdering the boy between 7.45am and 8.15am at an apartment unit in Setapak on Nov 29, 2020, which carries the d3ath penalty or a jail term between 30 and 40 years upon conviction.

In addition to the m8rder conviction, Augustine was sentenced to one year for one count of attempted suicide, five years for s3xually assaulting his then 25-year-old stepdaughter, five years for attempted m8rder of his son, then aged 7; and 14 years for causing grievous hurt to his wife, then 48, who suffered a broken hip.

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Muniandy ordered that all jail sentences run concurrently, which is 14-years, from Augustine’s arrest on Nov 29, 2020.

“All these inhumane and despicable acts of the accused could have been stopped as the accused’s wife attempted to do so, but the accused persisted even after grievously injuring her.

“The victims were all traumatised by the entire incident and had to run away from the home before anything more dreadful was inflicted on them.

“Then they found the grandchild dead on the ground as he was thrown away mercilessly by the accused, who then attempted suicide.

“Such conduct cannot be excused on the grounds of self-intoxication with drugs or his attempt to end his own life,” he said.

In mitigation, defence counsel Zulkifli Awang argued that his client should be spared the death penalty, saying the murder was not premeditated and that his client was not a hardened criminal incapable of rehabilitation.

“The facts show that his actions were due to schizophrenia and that he was of unsound mind, although the court had ruled that self-intoxication is not a defence.

“But I want to stress that what occurred was due to his insanity, due to drug consumption.

“He has been in remand since his arrest, and he is repentant. Imprisonment would be a more appropriate sentence. It is not necessary to take another life,” he said.

Deputy public prosecutor Zaileen Nadia Zubir urged the court to impose the death penalty, stating that Augustine had admitted to committing the acts due to prolonged consumption of drugs and not schizophrenia.

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“He dangled the child by the leg outside the window before throwing him out, an act witnessed by the boy’s mother.

“He had admitted that it happened because of drugs and not because of schizophrenia, and he heard voices.

“He knew his actions were wrong and apologised,” she said.

The trial began in January 2024 and concluded in December the same year, with testimony from 22 prosecution witnesses and two defence witnesses, who were Augustine himself and consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Ian Lloyd Anthony.

After the proceedings, Zulkifli said a notice of appeal against the d3ath sentence would be filed.

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