Suspected bandits have attacked Kakafu, a mining village in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting a woman, her daughter and granddaughter.
Residents told PREMIUM TIMES the armed men, dressed in military camouflage, stormed the village around 1 a.m. on Sunday. Kakafu has suffered repeated attacks, the most recent about four months ago.
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Locals said the victims had fled to neighbouring Lade after the last raid but returned on Saturday for a Maulud celebration. The attackers appeared to have specifically targeted them.
“They fled to Lade about four months ago,” said Ndaba Isah, a relative who has also left the village. “My uncle saw the terrorists when they came to our family house and went into hiding. He later heard them beating the women before taking them away.”
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Mr Isah identified the victims as 65-year-old Dufya, Maimuna (20) and Zainab (15).
Those initially abducted were four, according to Mr Isah and other residents.
“There was a three-year-old girl abducted with them,” Mr Isah said, adding the minor, also a granddaughter of Ms Dufya, was later released by the terrorists.
Mr Isah believes they were targeted because Ms Dufya’s son, Adam, was a “rich” miner and member of a local vigilante group.
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Farming and mining were the main livelihoods in Kakafu before residents were displaced, though some began returning two months ago.
The Kwara State Police Command has yet to issue a statement. Its spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, did not respond to calls or messages seeking comment.
The attack comes two weeks after Boko Haram insurgents raided the Woro community in Kaiama LGA, killing scores and abducting many.
Following that assault, President Bola Tinubu deployed an army battalion to the area to track down the attackers and rescue the victims. Displaced villagers say no one has been freed.
On Saturday, the terrorists released a video of the abductees—mostly women and children—claiming they were holding 176 people.
