On Sunday, September 28, residents of Oke-Ode, a quiet agrarian town in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, woke up to the staccato of gunfire.

What followed was not just another bandit attack, it was a massacre that shattered the town?s soul.

When the smoke cleared, no fewer than 15 people were confirmed dead? hunters, vigilantes, traders, a traditional leader and young men who had been the community?s first line of defence.

Families were kidnapped, entire compounds emptied, and hundreds of residents fled in panic.

They abandoned farmlands, shops, and schools.

Oke-Ode, once considered the safest town in the Igbomina axis, is now deserted.

Markets that once buzzed with traders are silent, sachet water sellers have disappeared, and bread is no longer available.

Fear is now the only currency that circulates in the town.

Some of those who died in the incident were identified as the Baale of Ogba Ayo, Abdulwasiu Abdulkareem; his brother, Fatai Abdulkareem; a prince from Agunjin, Ishola Muhammed; and Abdulfatai Elemosho from Babaloma.

Others are Salaudeen Bashir from Babaloma; Saheed from Abayan; Olowo-Ila from Oke-Ode, Oluode Ologomo, Oji and Saheed Matubi.

We gave the attackers fire for fire ? Hunter

Amid the grief, survivors pointed to what they described as a suspicious security lapse.

It was first a grieving widow who accused men of the Department of State Services of complicity in the attack.

She alleged that the operatives disarmed the hunters and gave the guns to the herdsmen.

But Rafiu Ajakaye, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said there was no truth to the claim.

He also noted that the leadership of the forest guards had disputed the claim.

But a local hunter, who narrowly escaped death and spoke on condition of anonymity, insisted that their guns were taken away before the bandits struck.

He also narrated how hunters confronted the hoodlums, who carried sophisticated guns.

The hunter said, ?It is someone who has not seen a real fight that calls himself a man. It was a tough battle. Those people came with sophisticated weapons. We tried our best, but we were overwhelmed. We gave them fire for fire; the bandits were many.

?A military officer had collected most of our guns the previous day, saying he wanted to service them. Immediately, he collected the guns, he kept them in the house with bullets. He slept at Ajase, and maybe it was one of those supplying the guns that hinted them that the guns had been recovered from us, and that they should start coming.

?That was the way I thought about it because since the guns were given to us, nobody attacked us. But it was the day he collected the guns and bullets for servicing that those people attacked. That looked suspicious.

?The remaining guns we had to protect ourselves were not enough at all. If the guns had not been collected and everything was available, they wouldn?t have been able to do that. They were able to attack us because we had insufficient guns and bullets.?

?I hid in the roof while baale, brother were killed?

At ?gba-Ayo Quarters, one of the bloodiest flashpoints of the invasion, tragedy struck at the home of Abdulwasiu, the leader of the community.

A relative, who asked not to be named for security reasons, recounted the horror in a trembling voice.

?It was early in the morning, and I was sleeping when I started hearing gunshots,? he said.

?I quickly climbed the roof to hide. After about 30 minutes, I came down and saw my brother ? the baale ? his younger brother, and son lying dead in a pool of blood. Their bodies were riddled with bullets.?

The local chief left behind two wives and six other children, all now in hiding.

?There is no one left in ?gba Ayo. We don?t know if we will ever return to our homes or what the future holds for us,? the source lamented.

From hiding, another resident, Gbemisola Muhammed, popularly called Yeye Oge, still trembles when she recalls her husband?s final words.

?On Saturday night, he told me not to travel after dark because he had a premonition,? she told Saturday PUNCH.

?He went for a hunters? meeting the next morning. He was not on duty that day, so he didn?t carry a gun. That was the last time I heard his voice.?

By Sunday, her husband, Prince Ishola Muhammed, was dead.

He was ambushed alongside his younger brother and brother-in-law. The attackers were said to have attempted to abduct his sister-in-law, who narrowly escaped.

?My mother-in-law had just returned from hajj. The bandits asked after her too. They eventually left with my sister-in-law?s bag and phones,? Gbemisola said.

Her husband was not just a hunter; he was a protector of the people.

?Now, I am a widow,? she said.

For 27-year-old Rilwan Tajudeen, the pain of loss remains raw.

His father, a charcoal dealer, had only gone to Oke-Ode to buy goods when the bullets found him.

?My father was not a hunter. He was returning from the market when they shot him and the motorcycle rider carrying him,? Rilwan said.

?I carried him in a pool of blood. Six bullets were removed from his body. He died in my hands. I don?t know how to continue without him.?

Rilwan has since abandoned the only home he knew.

Families wiped out, babies kidnapped

It was gathered that in Dabu village, a man identified as Taiye, his wife, and their two-month-old baby were kidnapped.

A popular doctor known as Baba Gold was also abducted along with his wife and two children.

?They killed Oluode Ologomo, a powerful hunter whose charms used to protect him. They stripped him of his amulets before shooting him. They wanted to make a statement that nobody is safe,? another resident said.

In Alade village, a Bororo man and a Hausa trader were reportedly killed before the bandits advanced into Oke-Ode.

No fewer than 15 people were killed.

A youth leader, Sesan Okeleye, lamented that the hunters died while serving without any form of remuneration.

?They were killed like chickens because their weapons were taken away under the guise of repairs. Somebody somewhere knows what is happening.?

Another indigene, Sunmonu Jamiu, added, ?People here know the bandits? hideouts. The soldiers too know. Why are they not going into the forests to flush them out? Until they do, we are not safe.?

Exodus in 200 vehicles

By midweek, Oke-Ode had emptied.

From Ajase-Ipo Junction down to the affected villages, residents carried bags of clothes and food as they boarded buses.

Commercial drivers confirmed that more than 200 vehicles evacuated residents between Sunday and Wednesday.

?The whole town has emptied,? one driver said. ?It is possible the criminals will now take over after killing the Baale and the vigilantes.?

Even institutions were not spared. At the School of Nursing in Oke-Ode, where about 700 students were enrolled, classrooms and hostels stood empty.

Students were hurriedly relocated to Ilorin for safety.

?We could not take chances with their safety,? said Dr. Nasirudeen Tajudeen, a senior lecturer. ?Accommodation has been secured in Ilorin. Academic work will continue there.?

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, told Saturday PUNCH that the command had scaled up joint operations with other forces to restore normalcy.

She said, ?We are not leaving anything to chance. The Kwara State Police Command, in synergy with the Nigerian Army, the Office of the National Security Adviser, and our sister agencies, is intensifying operations to ensure calm is restored to the hinterlands and the bandits terrorising our people are routed out.?

Kwara to set up task force, says gov

Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, vowed to ensure justice for the forest guards, hunters, and community leader killed in the attack.

The governor, in a statement posted on X on Friday, also announced plans to set up a civilian task force to bolster local security and tackle the growing wave of kidnappings and violent attacks across the state.

He said he held an emergency security meeting with stakeholders from Edu and Patigi LGAs on Thursday night.

He noted that the new civilian outfit would be drawn from local communities, adequately trained, and supported to work closely with conventional security agencies.

The governor explained that the task force would complement existing security structures, while its modalities would be fine-tuned in consultation with stakeholders to guarantee sustainability.

During the meeting, he noted that discussions also focused on supporting victims of past attacks, upgrading infrastructure at the College of Education (Technical), Lafiagi, and improving power supply across the Edu?Patigi axis.

Expressing grief over the Oke Ode tragedy, the governor described the slain men as heroes who laid down their lives for the safety of others.

?They will not die in vain. Beyond our solidarity and planned support for their families, we will not spare the criminals behind their deaths,? he said. (Saturday PUNCH)

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