SaharaReporters learnt from multiple sources that the armed men stormed the farmlands on Wednesday morning, whisking away the farmers who were working on their fields.
Tension has gripped residents of Patigi and surrounding communities in Kwara State following yet another daring attack by terrorists who invaded Lata community in Patigi Local Government Area and abducted six bean farmers.
SaharaReporters learnt from multiple sources that the armed men stormed the farmlands on Wednesday morning, whisking away the farmers who were working on their fields.
A community source told SaharaReporters that the attack was swift and coordinated.
“They came very early in the morning while the farmers were busy. They took all six of them into the bush, and up till now, there is no update about their whereabouts,” the source said.
Another resident recounted a separate attack on Tuesday, where bandits reportedly chased away labourers from a farm and snatched a seven-month-old Haojue motorcycle belonging to a local businessman.
The escalating violence has further entrenched fear across Kwara South and Kwara North, where communities say terrorists now operate freely.
Meanwhile, the regions have reportedly become a safe haven for terrorists. They attack anytime they want, and people are fleeing their homes because of constant kidnappings and threats.
The latest kidnapping comes just days after another violent incident in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area, where armed bandits, numbering about four, abducted a farmer identified as Mr. Aasaru last Sunday.
The Eruku attack was the second within one month, occurring barely a week after the federal government secured the release of 38 abducted worshippers of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Eruku.
Residents are calling for urgent intervention as communities continue to empty out under the pressure of relentless attacks, with fears growing that farming activities, already crippled, may be abandoned entirely.
Previously, SaharaReporters reported that gunmen on Monday stormed Igbo Ofe Ora community near Oke-Ode in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting a housewife identified as Rukayat and shooting her brother-in-law, Abdulateef.
Family sources told SaharaReporters on Tuesday evening that the attackers invaded the quiet agrarian village around 11 a.m., firing sporadically before whisking the woman away.
“The woman who was kidnapped is my uncle’s wife. It happened yesterday,” the source said.
“One of my elder brothers who stays with my dad was also attacked. He wasn’t killed, but he was seriously injured and is now in the hospital.”
The source, who insisted the attack was carried out by armed men he identified as “Fulani attackers,” said the gunmen struck as his younger brother was returning to the village on a motorcycle.
“They went into the village. At that time my younger brother was returning from the village on his motorcycle. That was when they started shooting. Everybody fled, and they took my father’s younger brother’s wife away,” the source added.
According to the source, only Rukayat was taken, and the abductors have since contacted the family, demanding a N100 million ransom.
“We took my brother to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital yesterday, but the doctors were on strike. Since the government hospital staff were unavailable, we had to move my brother to a private hospital,” the source said.