Bandits launched a midnight attack on Kemanji village in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, leaving at least five soldiers dead.
Community members said the attack started around 3:00 a.m. on Monday and went on for about two hours before it ended.
“Bandits invaded Kemanji this morning around 3:00 a.m. Our security agents, the army and local vigilantes engaged them in an intense gun battle that lasted until 5:00 a.m.m.,” a source told The Gazette.
“They killed a few of our soldiers. We still can’t say how extremely disastrous the attack was.”
Another resident explained how the night unfolded from their point of view:
“We just heard gunshots around 3:00 a.m. We locked our door and stayed inside, so the attack lasted till 5am this morning. From the gunshot, we could tell that there was an attack, but we didn’t fully know the intensity of the attack.
“When dawn broke, we discovered that over five soldiers were killed and several others were injured in the attack. The bandits left with the army men’s vehicles and motorcycles.”
Security sources confirmed that soldiers, alongside local vigilantes, tried to repel the attackers during the long exchange of gunfire.
By morning, the full scale of the incident became clearer, with reports confirming multiple deaths and injuries among the troops, as well as the theft of military vehicles and motorcycles by the attackers.
