Bandits attacked the Dinna and Marri communities in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State on Thursday evening, injuring several residents and abducting an unknown number. According to NupekoTv-Lafiagi, the attackers arrived in large numbers, overwhelming residents who had little time to flee. Some villagers sustained gunshot wounds, while others remain missing. A resident who spoke anonymously confirmed the assault, saying the gunmen were heavily armed and surrounded the village. Another blamed the Kwara State government for neglecting security in the region, citing escalating attacks in Kwara North. Reports also emerged that at least four farmers were killed in Mari, Dinna, and Emikpangi villages during the same evening. Police spokesperson SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi did not confirm the incidents when contacted on Friday. Last week, Rafiu Ajakaye, chief press secretary to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, acknowledged insecurity as a critical national issue. He stated that the state government allocates hundreds of millions of naira monthly to support security agencies in combating banditry and terrorism.
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq's claim of spending hundreds of millions monthly on security rings hollow when villagers in Patigi still face mass attacks with no police response. The fact that a police spokesperson could not confirm killings and abductions days after they occurred suggests either a breakdown in intelligence or a culture of silence. If money is being spent but attacks persist, then the strategy—or its execution—is failing. For residents of Kwara North, this is not news; it is their lived reality.
