John Ezra, a police officer attached to Lade Division in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, has been kidnapped by suspected terrorists operating in the area.
This came amid the claim by President Tinubu that Nigeria is winning against terrorism and banditry.
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The young officer was kidnapped along the Lade-Patigi road on Thursday while returning from an official duty, local sources told PREMIUM TIMES.
“He was returning from Patigi General Hospital, where he joined other security personnel to guard the facility,” a resident whose name has been withheld for security concerns said.
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The police in Kwara said they don’t have details about Mr Ezra’s abduction yet.
“I will get back to you,” Ejire-Adeyemi Adetoun, a police spokesperson in Kwara, said when contacted.
Widespread violence in Kwara
At least three local government areas—Patigi, Edu and Ifelodun—in Kwara State have been under incessant attacks by terrorists locally known as bandits.
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More than 30 villages have been affected in Patigi and Edu alone.
Locals told this paper that the recent attacks started in May when the terrorists killed a pharmacist who resisted abduction in Gbado village, near Patigi town.
Barely a month later, they invaded an artisanal miner’s residence in Lile village, killing him and his son.
In Oke Ode, Ifelodun LGA, the terrorists killed 15 vigilantes and hunters on Sunday. Scores of villagers were also kidnapped during the raid.
Describing Kwara as a link between the north and South-west Nigeria, experts warn that the situation could disrupt socio-economic activities and trigger interfaith tensions.
Kwara also suffers cross-border terrorism as al-Qaeda linked groups such as Ansaru and JNIM infiltrate the state’s ungoverned areas through forest reserves linking Nigeria to Benin.
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