By Fatima Mukhtar
A wave of grief has swept across Kwara State after more than 100 vigilante members and youths from Edu and Patigi Local Government Areas were massacred in a brutal ambush by heavily armed bandits.
Local accounts reveal that the victims had mobilized with dane guns and other traditional weapons in a desperate effort to repel criminal gangs tormenting their communities with kidnappings, murders, and destruction of farmlands. Unknown to them, the bandits had already obtained intelligence on their movement and set a deadly trap deep inside the forest.
When the vigilantes advanced, they were met with a rain of bullets from sophisticated rifles, machine guns, and explosives fired from multiple directions. The coordinated assault left scores dead instantly, with many others sustaining severe injuries. Several remain missing.
For days, grieving families were unable to recover the bodies, many of which lay scattered in the forest until locals risked retrieving them for mass burials. Survivors recounted chilling scenes of how the attackers pursued those fleeing, storming nearby villages and forcing terrified residents to abandon their homes.
The Edu and Patigi massacre now stands as one of the most devastating security tragedies in Kwara’s history, sparking heightened fears across Kwara North. Security observers warn that the armed groups remain active in forest belts linking Kwara, Niger, and Kogi States.
Traditional rulers, community leaders, and residents have renewed urgent appeals to both the state and federal governments, demanding stronger military and security presence to prevent further bloodshed.
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