Gunmen have killed six people and injured two others in a brutal attack at the Ilesha Baruba motor park in Baruten LGA of Kwara state.
According to Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, about ten armed men arrived the area on Monday evening and opened fire on residents relaxing at a nearby joint.
Sources said the assailants arrived suddenly and shot indiscriminately, causing panic and chaos.
Security agents later arrived at the scene, evacuated the corpses to the Ilesha Baruba morgue, and rushed the injured victims to a hospital for treatment.
Confirming the incident to TheCable, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, police spokesperson in Kwara, said investigations into the incident have begun.
“An investigation has been initiated, and full security measures have been implemented to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice,” she said.
“At about 2130hrs, suspected armed men, numbering ten, stormed the Ilesha Baruba Motor Park and opened fire indiscriminately at civilians gathered at a nearby relaxation spot.
“As a result, six persons—identified as Alhaji Ja’awire, AbdulJabar, Mohammed Nasamu, and three others—lost their lives, while two others sustained serious gunshot injuries.”
Ejire-Adeyemi also confirmed a separate incident in Kaiama LGA on Sunday, where a member of the vigilante group, Yusuf Samba, was killed during a shootout with suspected bandits in Kainji National Park. Three of the bandits were also gunned down.
“In the course of the gun duel, three of the suspected bandits suffered fatal gunshot wounds and a member of the vigilante, Yusuf Samba, was shot and later succumbed to the injury,” she said.
She added that an informant linked to the bandits has been arrested and is currently assisting with the ongoing investigation.
The police assured residents that tactical teams and surveillance units have been deployed to affected areas, warning that “anyone aiding or abetting crime in any part of the state will face the full weight of the law”. (The Cable)
