ISAPA, Kwara State — Armed bandits launched a fresh attack on Isapa community in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State on Sunday, but were repelled by local vigilantes who engaged them in a fierce gun duel.
Isapa, located about five kilometres from Eruku — where three people were killed and 38 worshippers were abducted during a church service last Tuesday — has been on edge since the earlier assault.
According to community sources, the bandits invaded Isapa in the evening, attempting to abduct residents, but met stiff resistance from vigilante members who had been on high alert following last week’s attack.
Vanguard gathered that there was an intense exchange of gunfire between the two sides, forcing the invaders to retreat into the surrounding bush. No casualties were recorded among the vigilantes.
One source in the community claimed that the vigilantes’ protective charms helped them withstand the attack. “There was no casualty on the part of the vigilantes because the bullets couldn’t penetrate,” the source said, describing the confrontation as “very serious but ultimately successful”.
Confirming the incident, Treasurer of the Isapa Peoples Union (IPU), Mr. Abayomi Daramola, said the community immediately reached out to the state government for help.
“My people called me this evening to inform me of the bandits’ attack on our community, but thank God they weren’t able to abduct anyone,” Daramola said.
“Our local vigilantes were up to the task as they engaged them in gunshots. A SOS was sent to the state government, which immediately directed soldiers in Eruku, just a few miles away, to reinforce. They have left the community as we speak.”
The prompt deployment of soldiers from the nearby Eruku base helped stabilise the situation and reassure residents, many of whom had already begun to fear a repeat of last week’s mass abduction.
Sunday’s incident highlights the growing reliance on community vigilante networks in rural parts of northern and central Nigeria, where bandit attacks, kidnappings and raids on villages and places of worship have become increasingly frequent.
Residents of Isapa are now calling for a permanent security presence in the area, warning that without sustained military and police patrols, bandits could regroup and launch further assaults on vulnerable communities.
