Follow Us on Google
The fragile peace of rural communities across Kwara and Oyo States has been shattered yet again as fresh waves of banditry, murder, and unresolved disappearances plunge families deeper into fear and grief.
This incident is the latest in a series of coordinated criminal activities linked to the vast reserve forest belt stretching between Igboho, Orelope Igbeti, and Saki East.
Residents describe a constant state of tension—every rustle in the night triggers panic, and the sound of approaching footsteps sends hearts racing. “We no longer sleep with both eyes closed,” said one villager. “Even when they release one person, another gets taken.”
Oyo State — Sepeteri Saki East Tragedy and Lingering Disappearances
The neighbouring community of Sepeteri in Saki East was thrust into mourning on 20 June 2025 after the brutal attack on Mr. Abiola Jokotola. Eyewitnesses report that bandits struck during his efforts to secure his brother’s property, leaving him fatally wounded and pronounced deceased in the same family home still haunted by the memory of a previous attack.
That earlier incident occurred on 13 November 2023, when armed Fulani herdsmen stormed the residence, trying to abduct multiple members of the Abiola Junaid family. To this day, the fate of Mrs. Abiola Junaid F, Muhammed Mayowa Abiola, who can identify the bandit’s face, and Olatunde M Abiola. Location remains unknown. Their father, Mr. Abiola Junaid, a respected guide at Old Oyo National Park, has been missing from the community since.
A Region on the Brink
The human toll is mounting. Local leaders warn that without swift, decisive government intervention, the region could spiral into complete lawlessness. Vigilante groups, already stretched thin, say they are outgunned and under-resourced. Fear has emptied farms, disrupted markets, and turned once-busy roads into ghostly thoroughfares by nightfall.
“The people are living in terror,” said a community elder. “Every day we wait for help that does not come, and every day we lose another son or daughter to these criminals.”
Calls for Action
Security experts have urged authorities to deploy additional troops, launch sustained operations into the reserve forest hideouts, and strengthen community policing initiatives. With the bandits growing bolder and deadlier, residents are pleading for a rescue—not just of the kidnapped, but of their way of life.
