The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed that armed men abducted 10 people after attacking the Yashikira Emir’s palace in Baruten Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement issued on Monday by the command’s spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the attackers also launched a simultaneous assault on the Yashikira police station at about 2am.
“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 read.
“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.”
Following the incident, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ojo Adekimi, directed an intelligence-driven tactical response involving the police, military, forest guards, vigilantes, and other security agencies.
The joint teams have since begun combing nearby forests and suspected hideouts in an effort to rescue the victims and apprehend those responsible.
The police chief reassured residents that the command would not be intimidated by criminal activities in any part of the state.
“These criminals have declared war against peace-loving citizens, and we are fully prepared to hunt them down relentlessly. 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,” Adekimi said.
The command further stated that security presence had been reinforced across Yashikira and other parts of Kaiama Local Government Area, with intensified surveillance, intelligence gathering, and bush-combing operations already underway.
This development comes shortly after terrorists attacked a church during a Saturday night vigil in Ori-Oke Ajaiye on the outskirts of Ikiran village in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, killing three people and abducting 15 worshippers.
