The Kwara State Police Command has launched a massive security operation following a midnight attack by suspected bandits on Yashikira community in Kaiama Local Government Area of the state.
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, targeted both the Yashikira Police Divisional Headquarters and the palace of the Emir of Yashikira, Alhaji Umar Seriki.
In a statement issued in Ilorin by the command’s spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the police described the assault as “cowardly and audacious.”
According to the statement, the gunmen stormed the area around 2:00 a.m. and carried out coordinated attacks on the police facility and the Emir’s residence.
The police disclosed that parts of the palace were set ablaze during the invasion, while 10 persons, including two wives of the Emir, were abducted by the attackers.
The command, however, stated that operatives on duty successfully repelled the assault on the police station.
Following the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, Ojo Adekimi, ordered what the command described as a full-scale intelligence-led rescue and manhunt operation.
The operation involves joint deployments of police personnel, military officers, forest guards, vigilantes and other security stakeholders combing nearby forests and suspected criminal hideouts in search of the victims and attackers.
The police commissioner vowed that security agencies would not surrender to threats posed by bandits operating in the state.
“The command remains battle-ready and fully determined to confront these enemies of peace with every lawful operational asset and strategy at its disposal,” the statement quoted him as saying.
“These criminals have declared war against peace-loving citizens, and we are fully prepared to hunt them down relentlessly.
“We will deploy everything within our operational capacity to smoke them out of hiding, dismantle their networks, rescue all abducted victims, and ensure they face the full wrath of the law,” the CP declared.
The command assured residents of Yashikira, Kaiama Local Government Area and other parts of the state that security presence had been strengthened in vulnerable communities.
It added that surveillance operations, intelligence gathering and aggressive bush-combing exercises were ongoing as authorities intensify efforts to rescue the abducted victims and restore calm in the area.