Gunmen Kill Man, Burn Houses In Kwara
Gunmen believed to be members of ‘Mahmuda’ group on Sunday attacked Karongi town in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara state, killed one person and burnt many houses in the community.
The bandits who invaded the town early in the morning reportedly killed a resident before setting some houses ablaze.
It was gathered that the gunmen took advantage of the absence of the vigilantes in the community who had travelled to attend a workshop while others had travelled out to celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir outside the community.
It was further gathered that the gunmen who had a field day in the community between 6am and 11am were however dislodged by the combined team of soldiers and vigilantes mobilised from the adjoining settlements in the area.
Though the police feigned ignorance of Sunday’s attack in Karongi, the Nigerian Army confirmed the incident to our correspondent.
The Emir of Yashikira Emirate in Baruten Local Government Area, Alhaji Umoru Sariki, also confirmed the incident to our correspondent.
The Emir who spoke in a telephone conversation on Sunday night said one person was killed during the attack while many houses were burnt.
Umoru said, “Yes, the bandits from Mahmuda group struck at about 6 am on Sunday. They attacked Karongi town in my Emirate. They killed one person and burnt many houses in the community.
“They took advantage of the absence of the vigilantes who had travelled for Sallah while some had also gone for training. They invaded the town for hours, from 6 am to 11 am. We have to go to the surrounding communities in the Emirate to mobilise local vigilantes who succeeded to chase them away at about 11o’clock.
The Emir said that “the soldiers were far away adding, that the army was stationed in Chikanda which is far away from the community.”
When contacted earlier, the Police Public Relations Office in Kwara State Police Command, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said she was not aware of the attack.
She said, “I’m not aware of this incident. I will do my findings and get back to you.”
The Public Relations Officer of the 22 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Sobi, Ilorin, Lt. Stephen Nwankwo, however, confirmed the attack on Monday.
He said, “Yes, the incident happened. I’m aware. One of the vigilantes was killed while some makeshift houses were set ablaze by the gunmen. The soldiers were alerted about the incident and they went to the village. The person who was killed was one of the vigilantes who escorted the soldiers to the village.
“The bandits ran away on sighting the soldiers and escaped from the area”, the Army spokesperson said.
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