KEY POINTS

• Bandits abducted 10 people, including an Emir’s wives and children, in Kwara.
• They burned part of the palace and attacked a nearby police station.
• Police launched a tactical operation to rescue the victims.

Suspected bandits stormed a community in Kwara State early on Monday, burning part of an Emir’s palace and abducting 10 people, including the traditional ruler’s wives and children. The Kwara State Police Command confirmed the Kwara palace attack on Yashikira in Baruten Local Government Area. Moreover, it said the gunmen struck the palace and a police station at the same time.

Inside the Kwara palace attack

Police said the raiders launched a coordinated assault around 2 a.m., hitting the Yashikira Police Divisional Headquarters and the palace of the Emir, Alhaji Umar Seriki. Specifically, the command described it as a “coordinated and desperate” operation. However, officers on duty repelled the attack on the police station.

The palace fared worse. According to the police spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the attackers set part of the building ablaze and seized 10 people before fleeing to an unknown location. Additionally, residents said the gunmen burned several palace vehicles, causing damage worth millions of naira. The Emir was not at home during the raid. However, attacks on a royal palace carry heavy symbolism, since traditional rulers anchor authority and a sense of safety in many rural communities.

Witnesses describe the raid

Residents painted a terrifying picture of the night. One witness, Tukur Ahmed, said the attackers rode in on motorcycles and went straight for the palace. “They were shooting into the air and broke into the inner quarters where the Emir’s wives and children were,” he said.

According to Ahmed and another resident, the gunmen abducted three of the Emir’s wives and four of his children, along with other residents. Indeed, a community member said his father had confirmed the same toll by phone. The raiders, they said, fired sporadically for up to two hours before pulling out of the town.

Police vow to rescue victims

The Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, ordered a full tactical operation involving soldiers, police, forest guards and vigilantes to free the captives and hunt the attackers. “We will deploy everything within our operational capacity to smoke them out of hiding,” the command said. Meanwhile, security teams began bush-combing and surveillance around the area.

The Kwara palace attack fits a worrying trend. Kwara North has seen a sharp rise in banditry in recent months, with repeated attacks on rural communities, highways and traditional rulers across Baruten, Kaiama, Edu and Patigi. Armed gangs have pushed south from Nigeria’s North-West into states like Kwara, raiding for ransom. Specifically, Kwara borders Niger and Kogi, and analysts say the gangs exploit thick forests and thin policing along those frontiers. Indeed, the state has logged several recent raids, including one in which gunmen reportedly killed worshippers and seized residents. No group claimed responsibility, and the police gave no figure for any ransom demand.