THE agrarian town of Oke-Ode in Kwara State’s Ifelodun Local Government Area, once a beacon of safety in the Igbomina region, lies abandoned and haunted after a brutal bandit assault on September 28 that claimed at least 15 lives and triggered a mass exodus. Gunfire shattered the Sunday morning calm, targeting hunters, vigilantes, traders, and a community leader in what survivors describe as a calculated massacre. Families were abducted, homes ransacked, and farmlands forsaken as panic gripped the community, leaving markets silent, schools deserted, and basic goods like bread and sachet water scarce. Among the dead were Baale Abdulwasiu Abdulkareem of Ogba Ayo and his brother Fatai; Prince Ishola Muhammed from Agunjin; Abdulfatai Elemosho from Babaloma; Salaudeen Bashir; Saheed from Abayan; Olowo-Ila from Oke-Ode; Oluode Ologomo; Oji; and Saheed Matubi. “They killed like chickens,” lamented a youth leader, Sesan Okeleye, pointing to the vulnerability of unarmed defenders.
Survivors’ harrowing accounts paint a picture of betrayal and fierce resistance amid a suspected security lapse. A local hunter, speaking anonymously after escaping the fray, recounted how a military officer seized their weapons the day before under the pretext of servicing, leaving them outgunned against bandits armed with sophisticated rifles. “We gave them fire for fire,” he said, “but we were overwhelmed. Since the guns were given to us, nobody attacked—until they were taken away.”
A grieving widow accused Department of State Services operatives of complicity, claiming they disarmed hunters and handed weapons to herdsmen, though Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, dismissed the allegation as baseless, citing disputes from forest guard leadership. In Ogba-Ayo Quarters, a relative hid on his roof as bandits riddled the Baale, his brother, and son with bullets, leaving two wives and six children in hiding.
Gbemisola Muhammed, widow of Prince Ishola, recalled his eerie premonition the night before: “He told me not to travel after dark.” Ambushed en route from a hunters’ meeting—unarmed and off-duty—he was slain alongside relatives, with bandits looting phones and bags while inquiring after his hajj-returned mother-in-law. In Dabu village, a family including a two-month-old baby was kidnapped, alongside a doctor and his wife and children. Even charms failed Oluode Ologomo, a revered hunter, stripped and shot to send a chilling message: no one is safe.
By midweek, over 200 vehicles had ferried residents to safety, emptying the town from Ajase-Ipo Junction to outlying villages like Alade, where a Bororo man and Hausa trader fell first. The School of Nursing, home to 700 students, relocated classes to Ilorin amid fears of further incursions. “The whole town has emptied,” a commercial driver confirmed. “Criminals might take over now.”
From exile, voices like Sunmonu Jamiu’s demand action: “People here know the bandits’ hideouts. Soldiers too. Why not flush them out?” In response, Governor AbdulRazaq, expressing profound grief, hailed the fallen as “heroes who laid down their lives” and announced a civilian task force drawn from local communities—trained and equipped to collaborate with security agencies. Following an emergency meeting with Edu and Patigi stakeholders, the governor pledged support for victims, infrastructure upgrades, and the relentless pursuit of perpetrators.
“They will not die in vain,” he posted on X. State Police spokesperson SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi affirmed intensified joint operations with the army and National Security Adviser to rout the bandits, vowing no stone unturned. As Oke-Ode’s soul mends in diaspora, the attack underscores Kwara’s escalating insecurity, where quiet farmlands have become killing fields and fear, the unyielding harvest.