Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed that armed gunmen invaded the Yashikira Emir’s palace in Baruten Local Government Area and abducted 10 people in a brazen attack that has heightened tension in the area.
Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the state’s command image maker, said in a statement on Monday that the gunmen also stormed the Yashikira police station at 2 a.m.
“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 reads.
“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 statement added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Ojo Adekimi, has ordered an intelligence-led tactical operation involving the police, military, forest guards, vigilantes and other security agencies to comb the surrounding forests and suspected criminal hideouts in a bid to rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
The police commissioner assured residents that the command would not succumb to threats or intimidation by criminal elements operating 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 threatened.
The Command also reassured residents of Yashikira and other parts of Kaiama Local Government Area that security operations have been stepped up across vulnerable communities, with intensified surveillance, intelligence gathering, and ongoing bush-combing operations to track down the attackers and restore calm.
This latest attack follows a deadly Saturday night assault in which suspected terrorists killed three people and abducted 15 worshippers during a vigil at Ori-Oke Ajaiye, on the outskirts of Ikiran village in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
