Scores of gunmen have reportedly invaded Babanla community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, resulting in a number of casualties, including a police officer.
It was gathered that the assailants, who were said to have come on motorcycles to the agrarian community, headed to the Divisional Police Headquarters amid sporadic shootings. Investigation revealed that it was at the police station that the gunmen killed the policeman, identified as Adejumo Wasiu.
Following the successful invasion of the police facility, the gunmen, it was gathered, headed to the market where they raided the traders.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesperson of the Kwara State Police Command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, confirming the unfortunate incident, said: “The assailants fired sporadically, killing five people, including a police officer, Adejumo Wasiu.”
She added: “A swift and coordinated response by Police operatives, Nigeria Army personnel, vigilantes, and local Hunters repelled the attack, restored order, and initiated a full-scale manhunt for the perpetrators.”
However, the Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, accompanied by the State Director of the Department of Services (DSS), on Sunday paid an on-the-spot assessment visit to Babanla to evaluate the security situation.
SP Ejire-Adeyemi said the delegation visited the traditional ruler of Babanla, Oba Yusuf Aliyu Alabi, with whom “they held high-level discussions aimed at consolidating peace and strengthening inter-agency and community-security collaboration”.
At Babanla, the joint security delegation also visited key locations in the community, including the market, the Divisional Police Headquarters, and the surroundings to ensure that stability has been fully restored.
Meanwhile, the CP has ordered sustained armed patrols, continuous intelligence gathering, and the deployment of specialised tracking teams, while the DSS also pledged continuous intelligence support to apprehend all those involved in the dastardly attack.
The statement reiterated the command’s unwavering commitment, in synergy with sister security agencies to safeguard lives and property in all parts of Kwara State, urging residents to remain calm, vigilant, and cooperative with security agencies by providing credible information.