During the attack, four wives of the Emir, two children, and four palace aides were reportedly taken away by the assailants.
The incident caused panic in the community as residents woke up to gunfire and flames engulfing the palace.
The raid comes just about 48 hours after a separate incident in Ekiti Local Government Area, where armed men killed three people and abducted 10 worshippers during a night vigil at a church, further heightening insecurity concerns in the region.
According to reports, the attackers also attempted to storm the Yashikira Police Divisional Headquarters located near the palace.
However, police officers on duty resisted the assault and successfully repelled the attackers, preventing the station from being overrun.
Eyewitness accounts from locals confirmed that the abducted victims were taken while trying to escape the burning palace, adding that the attackers operated in a coordinated manner during the pre-dawn raid.
The Kwara State Police Command, through its spokesperson SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, confirmed the incident in an official statement released on Monday afternoon.
The statement explained that the attack occurred around 2 a.m. and involved simultaneous strikes on both the palace and the police division.
Following the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, CP Ojo Adekimi, ordered a full-scale, intelligence-driven search and rescue operation.
The operation involves police operatives, the military, forest guards, vigilantes, and other security stakeholders tasked with combing nearby forests and suspected hideouts to rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
The police condemned the attack in strong terms, describing it as a cowardly act carried out by suspected bandits.
The command also assured residents that it remains fully committed to restoring peace, intensifying surveillance, and deploying all available resources to dismantle criminal networks and secure the safe return of all abducted persons.
0 Comments