The Kwara State Police Command has stepped up security in Babanla, Ifelodun Local Government Area, following a weekend assault by suspected bandits that claimed five lives, among them a senior police officer.
Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, confirmed the development during a Sunday visit to assess the community’s security situation.
He was accompanied by the State Director of the Department of State Services, DSS.
Ojo said the incident took place on the 8th of August, 2025, when armed men, “reportedly in their hundreds and riding motorcycles,” stormed Babanla. Their targets included the Divisional Police Headquarters and the local market, where they “fired indiscriminately.”
The violence led to the deaths of Assistant Superintendent of Police Adejumo Wasiu and four civilians.
According to Ojo, a swift joint response involving police officers, Nigerian Army troops, vigilantes, and local hunters repelled the attack, restored order, and launched an extensive manhunt for the perpetrators.
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Security personnel later visited key points in the town, including the police station, the market, and the palace of the traditional ruler, Oba Yusuf Aliyu Alabi Arojojoye II, to review the damage and reassure residents.
Oba Arojojoye praised the “prompt response of security agencies” and pledged to work with community leaders to prevent displacement, reaffirming the community’s commitment to unity and resilience.
In a statement from Ilorin, Police Public Relations Officer SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi said the Commissioner of Police had directed “sustained armed patrols, continuous intelligence gathering, and the deployment of specialised tracking teams” to secure the area and pursue the attackers.
She further stated that the DSS would “provide continuous intelligence support until all suspects are apprehended.”