Eleven Forest Guards and a community head were shot dead in Okeode Ifelodun local government area of Kwara state by rampaging bandits who took the community by storm on Sunday.
The deceased Forest Guards and vigilantes have been positioned to provide security for the community before they met their untimely death.
Consequently, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who expressed deep grief over the tragedy despite his efforts to stamp out banditry in the state, called for increased security deployments to the community and the state in general to rout the criminals involved in attacks in parts of the state.
According to a statement issued by his press secretary, Rafiu Ajakaiye, to journalists on Sunday, the Governor said the state requires more military deployments to roll back the activities of criminals in parts of Kwara South and Kwara North.
He particularly regretted the loss of innocent civilians and the forest guards who mounted a spirited resistance to the assailants in the early morning incident on grounds of patriotism and love for their communities.
“My heartfelt condolences go to the families. No word can adequately capture the depth of my sadness, and nothing can compensate the bereaved families for these incidents, in spite of our efforts and the investments in enlisting and training the forest guards to bolster the conventional forces.
“Our people are understandably concerned about the situation, and I wholeheartedly share in this grief,” the Governor said in the statement on Sunday.
“While we appreciate the efforts and unquantifiable sacrifices of the security forces as well as the successes so far, we definitely need to do a lot more until we are completely out of the woods.
“Finally, I urge our brave residents to remain calm and avoid the temptation to turn on ourselves. I equally commend all the forest guards and the local hunters who, though lost five of their compatriots, equally neutralised several of the attackers. We will forever be grateful to all of them as our heroes.”
The Army Headquarters, meanwhile, has directed the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 2 Division of the Nigerian Army in Ibadan to relocate immediately to Kwara to further coordinate and enhance the military response to the development.
Similarly, the state police command in a statement by the Spokesperson Ejire Adetoun Adeyemi issued on Sunday, while confirming the development, stated that:’The Kwara State Police Command informs the public of an unfortunate incident that occurred in the early hours of today, 28th September, 2025, in Oke-Ode, Ifelodun LGA of the state. “At about 7:00am today, armed men invaded the Ogbayo area of Oke-Ode, shooting sporadically. 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. It added ,”the victims sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Additionally, four persons who sustained injuries were immediately taken to Hospital for treatment, while the deceased were evacuated.” It further stated that,”the Kwara State Police Command, in collaboration with the military and NFSS, has intensified efforts to track down the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. Manhunt operations are ongoing, and the Command assures residents that those responsible will be brought to justice.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, deeply commiserates with the families of the victims, praying for the repose of their souls. He assures the people of Kwara State of the police command’s unwavering commitment to their safety and security. Further updates will be communicated in due course. Vanguard News
