Suspected terrorists on Monday attacked the busy Isanlu–Isin–Omu Aran road in Kwara State, kidnapping at least four travellers in an early-morning ambush, residents and eyewitnesses said.
The attack occurred in the early hours along the highway linking communities in Kwara South to Ilorin, the state capital.
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The road is a major route for commuters and commercial drivers moving between rural communities and the city.
An eyewitness, who spoke to CHANNELS TV on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the assailants were heavily armed and operated for several minutes without resistance.
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“They stopped vehicles on the road and started taking people away. Everybody ran for safety. They took at least four persons before escaping into the bush,” the source said.
Efforts to reach the Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, were unsuccessful, as calls to her line were not answered at the time of filing this report.
The latest incident adds to growing concerns about insecurity in Kwara South and neighbouring areas, despite ongoing security operations by the state and federal governments.
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In recent weeks, the region has recorded a series of high-profile abductions. On New Year’s Eve, gunmen abducted a traditional ruler, the Oniwo of Aafin, Oba Simeon Olaonipekun, alongside his son and other residents in Ifelodun Local Government Area.
The attackers also shot the ruler’s wife during the palace invasion.
Days later, kidnappers demanded a total of ₦450 million ransom for the release of the traditional ruler, his son and other abducted residents, according to community sources and security groups.
The Kwara South Joint Community Security Watch Network confirmed that ₦150 million was demanded for Oniwo and his son, and ₦300 million for eight residents who were abducted earlier in Adanla-Irese, a suburb of Igbaja.
The spate of attacks has fuelled anxiety across Ifelodun, Isin and other parts of Kwara South, where residents say armed groups are increasingly operating along highways and forest corridors.
The highway abduction on Monday came the same day the Kwara State Government directed the reopening of schools across the state after weeks of closure linked to insecurity.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development announced that public and private schools would reopen from Monday, 5 January 2026, except in areas under special security surveillance.
“We welcome our children and teachers back to school across the state. Learning activities are to resume immediately in all but areas earlier identified to be under special security surveillance,” the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Lawal Olohungbebe, said in a statement.
The ministry’s press secretary, Peter Amogbonjaye, said the decision followed an assessment of the security situation and ongoing operations by security agencies.
“This structured school resumption is designed to keep our children from harm’s way amid renewed security operations. Normal school activities will resume in such places very soon,” the commissioner added.
READ ALSO: Kidnappers demand ₦450 million ransom to free Kwara traditional ruler, son, others
Schools in parts of Kwara South had been shut since 20 November 2025, after the government ordered closures in Isin, Irepodun, Ifelodun and Ekiti local government areas due to escalating security threats.
The decision followed deadly attacks, including a church invasion in the Eruku community, where three worshippers were killed and more than 35 abducted.
While the government says security conditions have improved enough to allow a phased resumption of academic activities, Monday’s highway attack underscores lingering fears among residents, particularly parents and commuters who rely on roads in the affected axis.
Security analysts have warned that unless sustained patrols and permanent security formations are established along major routes in Kwara South, criminal groups displaced from neighbouring states may continue to exploit the area’s forests and road networks.
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