Kwara State Police have launched a full-scale manhunt for suspects behind a deadly wave of mob violence, arson, and extrajudicial killings in Ilesha Baruba, Baruten Local Government Area, following a fatal altercation on Friday that left multiple people dead and about 10 buildings destroyed.
The trouble began when an unidentified Fulani man and a local Islamic scholar, Alhaji Mohammed Ilyasu, engaged in a violent confrontation in which both men sustained severe machete wounds.
Both were rushed to the hospital, but neither survived. Ilyasu was confirmed dead on arrival, while his assailant died shortly after receiving treatment.
What followed, police say, was swift and brutal.
“Rather than allowing the law to take its course, some irate youths reportedly stormed the hospital, seized the corpse of the deceased assailant, and set it ablaze,” the Command said in a statement signed by Police Public Relations Officer SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi.
The mob then turned on a man who happened to be passing through the area, setting him on fire. In a further rampage, the crowd razed approximately 10 buildings belonging to members of the Fulani community, including the residence of the Ardo Fulani, Alhaji Hassan.
A combined team of police personnel and military operatives was deployed to the scene, restoring order and preventing further escalation. Security has since been reinforced, and the situation has been placed under close monitoring.
Kwara State Commissioner of Police, CP Ojo Adekimi, did not mince words in his response to the bloodshed.
“These acts are criminal, barbaric, and a direct affront to the rule of law,” Adekimi said, adding that “no individual or group has the right to take the law into their own hands, irrespective of the circumstances surrounding any incident.”
The Commissioner urged residents across the affected communities to remain calm and law-abiding, warning against any actions capable of inciting further ethnic reprisals. He reassured all communities of the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property “without bias” and ensuring justice is served.
All suspects linked to the retaliatory attacks, arson, and unlawful killings remain at large as investigations continue. #Securitynewsalert.com
#KwaraPolice
#KwaraCP
