Residents of Isapa, a community near Eruku in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, were thrown into panic at the weekend after bandits launched another deadly attack, abducting at least 11 people, including a pregnant woman and several children.
Local sources said the attackers stormed the community at night, shooting sporadically before whisking away the victims into the surrounding forest. The incident adds to the growing list of recent assaults on communities within the Eruku–Isapa axis, which has suffered repeated raids by armed groups in the past weeks.
The latest abduction comes barely days after bandits attacked Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, where over 30 worshippers were kidnapped and at least two people were reportedly killed. In that earlier attack, the assailants demanded huge ransoms, initially pegged at ₦100 million per victim before reducing it to about ₦20 million.
Community members say the repeated attacks suggest a coordinated pattern targeting vulnerable rural settlements along the Kwara border corridor. Residents fear the fresh kidnapping may be linked to the same network responsible for previous incidents.
Authorities in Kwara State have yet to issue an official statement on the Isapa abduction, but security sources say a joint team of police operatives, vigilante hunters, and local volunteers has begun combing the forests in search of the victims.
Meanwhile, calls are growing for the federal and state governments to strengthen security presence in Ekiti Local Government Area and other border communities prone to bandit incursions. Locals also warn that the continued silence on the fate of victims from earlier attacks has deepened anxiety across the region.
As families await news of their abducted loved ones, community leaders say they remain hopeful that security agencies will act swiftly to prevent further violence and secure the release of those in captivity.