At least 10 residents of Isapa community in Ekiti LGA of Kwara state were abducted on Monday by about 20 armed men.
The attackers, who reportedly came into the community alongside their herd, opened fire and carried away several residents, including seven members of a single family.
Among the victims are Fatima Yusuf, a pregnant woman, and two nursing mothers.
The other abducted residents have been identified as Talatu Kabiru, 20 years old; Magaji, six years old; Kande, five years old; Hadiza, 10 years old; Mariam, six years old; Saima, five years old; Habibat; Sarah Sunday, 22 years old; Lami Fidelis, 23 years old and a nursing mother; and Haja Na Allah, also a nursing mother.
In a statement, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, Kwara police command spokesperson, said a search-and-rescue operation is underway and that normalcy has since returned to the village.
“The Kwara State Police Command confirms a shooting incident that occurred at Isapa via Obbo-Ile Village on 24th November 2025,” the statement reads.
“At about 1830hrs of the same date, the command received distress information on sporadic gunfire within the community. Swiftly responding, police operatives mobilized patrol vehicles and tactical teams to the scene.
”Preliminary findings revealed that at about 1805hrs, a group of armed men suspected to be herders invaded the village shooting sporadically.
“As a result, a woman sustained gunshot wound to her leg; she has since been treated and discharged. Further details from police operatives discovered that 10 persons were later abducted.
“In response to the gravity of the situation, the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Command, CP Adekimi Ojo, psc mnips, visited Isapa community for an on-the-spot assessment.
”During the visit, the CP met with Traditional Rulers, the Onisapa of Isapa Land, Oba Gbenga Adeyeye and Olokesa of Okesa Land, Oba Olu Fagbamila Raphael Olusegun, local and youth leaders; to assure residents of intensified operational efforts to rescue the victims safely and restore confidence in the area.
”A search-and-rescue operation is currently underway, involving police tactical teams and local vigilante groups, who are combing the surrounding bushes with the objective of rescuing the victims and apprehending the culprits.
“Normalcy has been restored in the village, and the situation remains under strict monitoring.”
The incident comes just a week after gunmen attacked a branch of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) at Oke Isegun in the Eruku community, another town in Ekiti LGA bordering Kogi state.
Thirty-eight worshippers were abducted in that attack but have since been rescued.
Isapa and Eruku are about 20 kilometres apart.
