Fear has gripped residents of Yashikira following a deadly overnight invasion by suspected bandits who reportedly set the Emir’s palace on fire and abducted several villagers, including women and children.
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, threw the border community into chaos as heavily armed gunmen stormed the area, shooting sporadically and causing widespread panic among residents.
Sources within the community disclosed that the assailants targeted the palace of the Emir of Yashikira during the raid, burning parts of the royal residence before abducting an unspecified number of people.
Residents said the attackers operated for several hours without interruption, leaving destruction and fear in their wake.
A local source described the invasion as traumatic, noting that many villagers were asleep when the gunmen struck under the cover of darkness.
Security operatives have since launched rescue operations in an effort to secure the release of the abducted victims, who are believed to number about 10.
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Military personnel and police officers were reportedly deployed to the area, where security agencies have mounted a cordon as part of ongoing rescue efforts.
Sources further revealed that the attackers attempted to invade nearby police stations during the assault but were repelled by security personnel.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
The latest attack comes barely days after armed bandits invaded a prayer ground at Ori-Oke Ajaiye on the outskirts of Ikiran village in Ekiti Local Government Area, where three worshippers were killed and 15 others abducted during a night assault.