Suspected bandits on Monday launched a coordinated midnight attack on the Yashikira community in the Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, burning a section of the emir’s palace and abducting three wives and four children of the traditional ruler, Alhaji Umar Seriki.
The PUNCH gathered that the attack, which occurred between about 12:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m., saw heavily armed men storm the border town in large numbers, firing sporadically into the air before advancing directly toward the palace and nearby police formation.
Residents said the attackers overpowered local security operatives stationed around the palace and forced their way into the inner sections of the royal residence, where members of the emir’s household were seized.
A resident who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity due to security concerns described the chaos that followed the invasion.
He said, “I just finished communicating with my father right now. In his report, he said three of the wives of the emir and four children were abducted, including some residents of the community.
“People were running in different directions because of the sporadic gunshots. Some sustained injuries while escaping, but we cannot confirm the exact number for now,” the resident said.
Another resident, Tukur Ahmed, said the attackers arrived on motorcycles and moved straight to the palace complex.
“They came on motorcycles and went straight to the palace. They were shooting into the air and broke into the inner quarters where the emir’s wives and children were.
“They took three of the wives and four children, alongside some other residents, before setting the cars on fire and leaving the town,” he added.
Sources confirmed that several vehicles belonging to the palace were set ablaze during the raid, causing significant property damage estimated in millions of naira.
The PUNCH also gathered that the emir was not in the palace at the time of the attack.
The Kwara State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, stating that 10 people were abducted during the coordinated assault.
According to the statement, the attackers struck at about 2:00 a.m., simultaneously targeting the Yashikira Police Divisional Headquarters and the emir’s palace in what the command described as a coordinated and desperate operation.
The police said: “The Kwara State Police Command condemns in the strongest possible terms the cowardly and audacious attack carried out by suspected bandits in the early hours of today, 25/5/26, in Yashikira, Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
“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.
“During the attack, part of the palace was set ablaze, while 10 people were abducted and taken to an unknown destination. However, the attack on the police station was successfully repelled by police operatives on duty.”
Following the attack, the Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, ordered a full-scale tactical operation involving the military, police, forest guards, vigilantes, and other security stakeholders to rescue the victims and track down the attackers.
The command said rescue operations had already commenced, with security forces combing nearby forests and suspected hideouts.
It assured residents that deployments had been reinforced across vulnerable communities.
The police also maintained that they would not succumb to intimidation by criminal groups operating in the state, insisting that all operational assets would be deployed to dismantle the attackers’ network and rescue abducted victims.
“The command remains battle-ready and fully determined to confront these enemies of peace with every lawful operational asset and strategy at its disposal.
“We will deploy everything within our operational capacity to smoke them out of hiding, dismantle their networks, rescue all abducted victims, and ensure they face the full wrath of the law,” the statement added.
Kwara North has witnessed a sharp escalation in banditry in recent months, shifting from isolated rural kidnappings to large-scale coordinated massacres, highway ambushes, and repeated attacks on traditional institutions across Kaiama, Baruten, Edu, and Patigi LGAs.
During this period, armed groups intensified operations across forest corridors linking Kwara to neighbouring states, targeting rural settlements, commuters, farmers, and security formations.
Major incidents included deadly raids on communities in early 2026, mass abductions along highways, attacks on military and police bases, and the February 3, 2026, Woro and Nuku massacre in Kaiama LGA, which marked one of the deadliest episodes in the region’s recent history.
LG bans vigil
The Chairman of Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, Gabriel Awelewa, has ordered an indefinite suspension of vigil in worship centres in local communities across the council area.
The order was sequel to the gunmen attack on Ori-Oke Ajaiye, near Ikerin-Opin during a vigil, leading to the death of three persons and abduction of 15 others.
“Based on the recommendation from the council’s security advisory team, Awelewa urged religious bodies in outlying areas to relocate services to community centres within towns and villages, and limit day services to a maximum of two hours,” the statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the council chairman, Dada Sunday, stated.
It noted that the council chairman was particularly disturbed that the church continued to hold night services in an isolated area despite repeated warnings issued to religious bodies through the Christian Association of Nigeria and the League of Imams.
“Faith cannot be practised at the expense of life. We have consistently advised churches and mosques in isolated areas to stop holding vigils. Worship is meant to edify and protect, not expose people to avoidable danger.
“Security is a shared responsibility. Our people must choose prudence over ritual when the environment is unsafe. No prayer is more valuable than human life,” the statement quoted the chairman as saying.
Awelewa described the midnight raid as “a painful reminder that insecurity thrives where communities are unguarded, and warnings are ignored.”
He noted that the location of the church on a hill, far removed from residential areas, made early intervention from security personnel impossible.
“Help could not come quickly because the congregation was isolated. That is a reality we must confront honestly,” the statement added.
The chairman assured that the council would work with the state government and security agencies to secure the immediate rescue of the abducted worshippers and strengthen surveillance around vulnerable communities.
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