By Prosper Mene
Armed bandits stormed three remote villages in Kwara State’s Patigi Local Government Area early Tuesday morning, leaving a trail of devastation that claimed the lives of a pregnant woman and a visiting cleric, while abducting eight residents and rustling dozens of cattle.
The brazen assault, which occurred between 6 and 7 a.m., has forced hundreds of terrified villagers to flee their homes, revealing the escalating insecurity plaguing Nigeria’s North Central region.
The attacks targeted Motokun, Egboro, and Fanagun villages, where gunmen, believed to be herder-affiliated bandits, operated with impunity for hours, firing indiscriminately at anyone who resisted. Eyewitnesses described scenes of utter chaos as families scattered into the bush, abandoning homes and livestock. “We woke up to the sound of gunfire and screams. People were running everywhere, carrying their children and whatever they could grab,” recounted Hon. James Ibrahim, a local resident who barely escaped with his family.
Among the victims was an unidentified pregnant woman, shot dead in her compound while preparing for the day. A cleric from nearby Patigi, known for his weekly sermons in the villages, was gunned down and mutilated in a particularly gruesome act of violence. Community leader Mallam Mohammed confirmed the kidnappings, noting that the bandits targeted “wealthy individuals whom they know can be extorted.” The abducted include three Fulani herders from Fanagun, whose cattle were also seized, along with at least six others from Motokun and Egboro. Reports indicate the gunmen made off with over 15 motorcycles and hundreds of cows, further crippling the local economy reliant on herding and petty trade.
This latest outrage follows a violent clash on Monday between security forces and bandits in the same area, during which dozens of cattle were rustled and at least four assailants were wounded, according to vigilante commander Gina Gana. “The bandits came back stronger, as if to retaliate,” Gana told reporters, underscoring the porous security landscape that allows such reprisals.
Residents expressed deep frustration over the delayed response from authorities. Security operatives, including soldiers and vigilantes, arrived hours after the attackers had vanished into surrounding forests. “By the time help came, our people were gone, and the dead lay in pools of blood,” said another villager, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Bandit incursions have become a weekly ritual in Patigi, ravaging villages like Lata, Ndanaku, Takarfu, Motokun, Egboro, and Lele.
The relentless violence has prompted the Kwara State government to relocate the 2025 Batch B Stream II NYSC orientation camp to safer Ilorin and impose curbs on cattle markets in the north.
