Calm in Ilorin communities after kidnappers, cultists rampage

Normalcy has been restored in Gaa-Osibi and Alagbado communities of the Okelele area in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State following the invasion of the areas by suspected kidnappers and cultists.

Nonetheless, there is still tension in the neighbourhood according to the community leader of the area, Alangua Ibagun, Sakariyau Abdulmaliki Iyanda.

In a chat with DAILY POST at his residence in Okelele, the Alangua Ibagun lamented that despite the quick response by the concerned authorities including the police on the security challenges in the areas, the people still live in fear.

“We live in fear because we don’t know when reprisal attacks could happen again following the brutal killings of last week. At the community level, I have summoned elders, parents and Magajis of family compounds in a bid to find lasting solutions to the unnecessary brutal killings and crimes in the areas,” he stated.

He told DAILY POST that some people have fled the areas for their dear lives as nobody could guarantee there will be no reprisal attack following the killing of the two suspected cultists.

“Today, Saturday is the sixth day after the invasion of the areas by suspected cultists and the police have taken over policing the affected communities. To complement the efforts of the police and state government, we have summoned a meeting of imams, magajis, parents and other stakeholders slated for Sunday to address the situation,” he stated further.

The Alangua described the development as disturbing.

“Okelele in the past was well known as an area where people seek refuge when they are in trouble or crisis in their localities, it is painful that we are now in this senseless situation which is uncalled for,” he added.

In October 2022, four kidnap incidents were recorded while three persons were killed in a cult-related supremacy battle between Aye and Eiye confraternities. The incidents occurred within two weeks.

The turf battle between the cult groups came two weeks after the abduction of two children of Ayuba Lukuman Biodun at Araromi, Gaa Osibi, for which the kidnappers demanded N8 million ransom.

Biodun, the father of the abducted children, was forced to sell his Toyota Camry car for N1.5 million and also put his house up for sale in a bid to raise the N8 million ransom.

Of the casualties of the cult clash, one unidentified member of the two groups was killed on Monday night at Ile Alama, near Amule of Okelele area, while another one was murdered on Tuesday. The third victim initially reported killed during the attack, survived, according to sources.

The security challenges in the areas forced the state Police Commissioner, Paul Odama to pay an on-the-spot assessment visit to the communities.

During the visit on October 26, 2022, Odama who directed the deployment of three additional patrol vehicles to the area to reduce fear and apprehension of residents, advised residents not to panic or relocate as the areas are now safe and peaceful for people to carry on with their legitimate businesses.

The State Security Council, also at the last meeting on Friday, last week extensively discussed the security challenges in Gaa Osibi-Alagbado areas of the Ilorin metropolis, with an appeal to citizens to be alert and to volunteer actionable intelligence to security agencies to prevent crimes.