Authorities in Kwara State, north-central Nigeria, have confirmed that five people, including a senior police officer, were killed when armed men attacked the town of Babanla in Ifelodun Local Government Area.
Police spokesperson SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi said the incident occurred on 8 August when dozens of armed assailants on motorcycles stormed the community, targeting the Divisional Police Headquarters and raiding the local market.
Inspector Adejumo Wasiu was among the dead. The attackers fired indiscriminately before security forces – including police officers, Nigerian Army personnel, local vigilantes, and hunters – mounted a swift counter-response, driving the gunmen away and restoring order.
Kwara State Commissioner of Police Adekimi Ojo and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) visited Babanla on Sunday for an on-the-spot security assessment. They met the town’s traditional ruler, Oba Yusuf Aliyu Arojojoye II, to discuss peacebuilding measures and closer cooperation between security agencies and the community.
Officials toured the market, police station, and other key sites, while the Commissioner ordered heightened armed patrols, enhanced intelligence gathering, and the deployment of specialist tracking units. The DSS pledged continued intelligence support to track down those responsible.
Residents were urged to remain calm, vigilant, and to assist the authorities with credible information.
