Ilorin, Kwara State — A dawn attack by suspected bandits on Ogbayo in Oke-Ode, Ifelodun Local Government Area, left the area’s traditional ruler and at least 12 local vigilantes dead on Sunday, September 28, 2025, in what residents fear signals the gangs’ deepening push southward.
The Kwara State Police Command said gunmen stormed the Ogbayo axis around 7:00 a.m. and opened fire. “A combined team of police operatives and members of the National Forest Security Service responded swiftly to the scene, where they discovered 12 lifeless bodies of vigilante members, including the Baale of Ogbayo,” the command said. Four injured victims were evacuated to hospital.
Police spokespersons said a joint operation with the military and the National Forest Security Service (NFSS) had been launched to track the assailants. “Manhunt operations are ongoing and the Command assures residents that those responsible will be brought to justice,” the statement added.
Eyewitnesses reported that the attackers arrived in large numbers and engaged community defenders in a fierce exchange before retreating into surrounding forests. A video shared after the incident showed bodies on the ground as relatives and neighbours wailed nearby. Some locals linked the scale of the assault to the recent withdrawal of soldiers previously stationed in the area. “We don’t know why they withdrew the soldiers. Now our people are exposed,” one resident said, adding that several people may have been abducted. Police said they were still verifying kidnap figures.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s press secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, described the killings as “devastating beyond words,” noting in a message to a community forum that three forest guards also died and one was injured during the response, and that “many of the attackers also died.” He praised the role of the state-backed forest guards in preventing even greater losses.
The attack has deepened anxiety across Oke-Ode and neighbouring communities, where residents rely heavily on local vigilante groups to bolster thinly stretched security forces amid recurring incursions in Kwara South and North. Community leaders renewed calls for sustained military presence and rapid clearance operations in the forests straddling the state’s borders.
Security agencies urged residents to remain calm and share actionable intelligence to aid ongoing operations. Authorities said further updates on arrests, casualty figures, and any confirmed abductions would be provided as the investigation progresses.
