On Sunday, gunmen allegedly belonging to the “Mahmuda” organisation invaded Karongi town in Kwara state’s Baruten Local Government Area, killing one person and setting other homes on fire.
A person was reportedly slain by the bandits who broke into the town early in the morning and then set fire to a few homes.
According to The Intercept, the gunmen used the fact that some of the community’s vigilantes had left to attend a workshop, while others had gone outside to celebrate Eid-el-Kabir.
It was also learnt that the combined force of troops and vigilantes who were recruited from the nearby villages managed to remove the gunmen who had a field day in the community between 6 and 11 a.m.
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 the Mahmuda group struck at about 6 am on Sunday. They attacked Karongi town in my Emirate. They killed one person and burned 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 in chasing them away at about 11 o’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.4
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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.
