Militants abduct woman and her two kids in Kwara state

By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

Suspected armed terrorists attacked Ahun, a community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, on Wednesday night, kidnapping a mother and her two children.

An artisan in the community, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Vanguard that the assailants arrived at night, opening fire and sending residents fleeing. He praised the local vigilantes, saying, “We thank God that our vigilantes stood their ground. If not for their bravery, the bandits would have caused more havoc.”

Sources confirmed that the kidnapped woman is the wife of the son of the driver to the traditional ruler of Oro-Ago, popularly known as Baba Segun. In their escape, the assailants reportedly injured the victim’s mother-in-law, also known as Mama Segun.

Eyewitnesses told journalists on Thursday evening in Ilorin that the attackers arrived around 9:00 p.m., shooting sporadically to scare residents. The operation, which lasted roughly 40 minutes, prompted villagers to consider leaving the town en masse the following day.

However, a member of the local vigilante group said the traditional ruler of Oro-Ago directed that no one should leave. The monarch was quoted as asking, “If they all leave now, on whom will I rule?” He also reportedly instructed military personnel in the area to prevent vehicles from leaving Ahun and Oro-Ago.

A family member of Baba Segun, based in Ilorin, commended the vigilantes for their courage. “My family in Ahun called around 9:00 p.m. yesterday that our community was under siege. The first thing I asked about was the welfare of my aged mother in the village,” he recalled.

Meanwhile, men of the Department of Security Services (DSS) in Ifelodun LGA invited members of the local vigilante team and other stakeholders to a day-long meeting on Thursday. The outcome of the meeting was not known at the time of filing this report.