Suspected bandits launched a coordinated overnight attack on the Yashikira Police Divisional Headquarters and the palace of the Emir of Yashikira in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting 10 people and setting part of the palace ablaze, police said on Monday.
The Kwara State Police Command said the attackers struck at about 2 a.m., targeting both the police facility and the royal residence in what it described as a “coordinated and desperate assault.” While operatives on duty repelled the attack on the police station, the assailants succeeded in abducting 10 persons from the palace area and fled to an unknown destination.
Commissioner of Police Ojo Adekimi has ordered a full-scale, intelligence-led operation involving the police, military, forest guards, vigilantes and other security stakeholders to comb surrounding forests and suspected hideouts in a bid to rescue the victims unharmed and arrest the attackers, said Police spokesperson SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi.
The command disclosed that security had been reinforced across Yashikira and other vulnerable areas, with surveillance, intelligence gathering and aggressive bush-combing operations under way.
Also Read: Gunmen strike prayer ground in Kwara State
“The command will not bow to threats, intimidation, or acts of terror,” the police said, vowing to dismantle the attackers’ network and bring those responsible to justice.
Media reports on the incident said the attack threw Yashikira into panic, with residents fleeing into the bush as gunfire rang out for hours. Those abducted in the raid included members of the emir’s household and other residents living around the palace, even though the police successfully repelled the assault on the divisional headquarters.
The Yashikira attack came less than 48 hours after another deadly assault in Kwara. Credible News recalls that three worshippers were killed and 15 others abducted when gunmen attacked a prayer ground in Ekiti Local Government Area, underscoring mounting concern over a fresh wave of violence in the state.
Recent months have seen repeated attacks on rural communities and worship centres across the state. In February gunmen killed at least 170 people in Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area, marking one of the deadliest assaults recorded in the state this year.
Kwara has witnessed a spate of kidnappings and killings. In November 2025, bandits stormed Ekiti Local Government killing at least two people and kidnapping the pastor and some worshippers. In Eruku they killed three worshippers and abducted 38 congregants before they were eventually rescued after security operations.
Crediblenewsng.com
