Barely one week after 38 worshippers of the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, Eruku, were abducted and later released, another wave of terror has hit Kwara State, as at least 11 residents were reportedly kidnapped on Monday evening in Isapa, a neighbouring community in Ekiti Local Government Area.
The latest attack occurred around 6pm when between 20 and 30 bandits stormed the quiet agrarian settlement with a large herd of cattle, shooting indiscriminately as residents fled for safety.
The attackers moved through several parts of the town, firing shots into homes.
Bullet holes were reportedly found in walls, windows and wooden doors, confirming the intensity of the gunfire.
A community leader confirmed that 11 persons were abducted, with seven of them belonging to a single family.
According to him, the kidnapped victims include a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers and children.
He listed the abductees as, Talatu Kabiru, six-year-old Magaji, Kande (5 years), 10-year-old Hadiza and Mariam, who is also 6 years old.
Others are 5-year-old Saima, Habibat (housewife), Fatima Yusufu, 22-year-old pregnant woman identified as Sarah Sunday, Lami Fidelis and Haja Na Allah (nursing mother).
“This is the worst attack we have seen in recent times. Seven members of the same family were taken. People are terrified. We don’t even know what to expect next.
“People are now living in fear. This is too much. Eleven people just disappeared into the bush. We don’t know what tomorrow holds,” he said.
A highly placed security official confirmed the incident on Tuesday, saying that operatives had already begun combing the forest linking Isapa, Eruku and other surrounding villages.
He added that despite the presence of federal security reinforcements deployed after the Eruku church kidnapping, the vastness of the forest and the presence of multiple settlements make surveillance difficult.
“Security agencies from Abuja are still around that axis, but you know that forest is vast. There are many villages around there, and it’s hard to be everywhere at the same time. But we are combing the area to rescue the victims,” he said.
The PUNCH