The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed that suspected armed bandits launched a coordinated midnight attack on Yashikira community in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting 10 persons, including wives and children of the traditional ruler, Umar Seriki, while also setting part of the Emir’s palace ablaze.
The command said the attackers struck at about 2:00 a.m. on Monday in a simultaneous assault on the Yashikira Police Divisional Headquarters and the Emir’s palace, describing the operation as coordinated and desperate.
In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the police condemned the attack, noting that the gunmen invaded the community in the early hours of Monday.
According to the statement, the armed men attacked both the police divisional headquarters and the palace of the Emir of Yashikira at the same time.
The police said part of the palace was burnt during the attack, while 10 persons were abducted and taken to an unknown destination. Operatives on duty, however, successfully repelled the assault on the police station.
Following the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, ordered a full-scale tactical operation involving the military, police, forest guards, vigilantes and other security agencies to rescue the victims and apprehend the attackers.
The command stated that it remained battle-ready and determined to confront criminal elements threatening peace in the state, adding that every lawful operational strategy would be deployed to rescue the victims and dismantle the attackers’ network.
Residents of the community said the attackers stormed the area between midnight and 2:00 a.m., firing sporadically before advancing toward the palace and nearby areas.
One resident, who spoke anonymously, said three wives and four children of the Emir were among those abducted during the invasion.
Another resident, Tukur Ahmed, said the attackers arrived on motorcycles and headed straight to the palace complex.
According to him, the gunmen shot into the air before breaking into the inner quarters where the Emir’s wives and children were staying.
He added that the attackers abducted three wives and four children of the Emir alongside other residents before setting vehicles within the palace on fire and fleeing the community.
Sources in the area also confirmed that several vehicles belonging to the palace were destroyed during the raid, with property worth millions of naira reportedly damaged.
It was gathered that the Emir was not in the palace when the attack occurred.
Meanwhile, security agencies have commenced bush-combing and surveillance operations across the area as efforts intensify to rescue the abducted victims and track down the attackers.
Communities in Kwara North have witnessed a rise in bandit attacks in recent months, with repeated incidents reported across Baruten, Kaiama, Edu and Patigi local government areas.
