A police officer, John Ezra, attached to the Lade Division in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, has been abducted by suspected terrorists operating in the region.
The incident occurred on Thursday along the Lade–Patigi road as the officer was returning from official duty.
According to local sources who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES, Ezra had just completed a security assignment at Patigi General Hospital before being intercepted by the armed men.
“He was returning from Patigi General Hospital, where he joined other security personnel to guard the facility,” said a resident, whose identity has been withheld for safety reasons.
Ezra’s abduction comes at a time when President Bola Tinubu has reiterated that Nigeria is making progress in the fight against terrorism and banditry. However, rising insecurity in parts of Kwara State appears to contradict this assertion.
At least three local government areas in Kwara—Patigi, Edu, and Ifelodun—have witnessed a surge in attacks by armed groups commonly referred to as bandits. In Patigi and Edu alone, over 30 villages have reportedly come under assault.
The latest wave of violence began in May with the killing of a pharmacist who resisted a kidnap attempt in Gbado village, near Patigi. In a separate incident weeks later, gunmen stormed the home of an artisanal miner in Lile village, killing both him and his son.
In Oke Ode, located in Ifelodun LGA, 15 vigilantes and hunters were killed during an armed raid on Sunday. Dozens of residents were also abducted in the attack.
Security analysts warn that Kwara State’s strategic location—as a geographical link between northern and south-western Nigeria—could further heighten the impact of insecurity, disrupting trade, agriculture, and possibly inflaming religious tensions.
The state has also become increasingly vulnerable to cross-border terrorism. Armed groups affiliated with al-Qaeda—including Ansaru and Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM)—are believed to be infiltrating ungoverned spaces through forest reserves that connect Nigeria to neighbouring Benin Republic.
Authorities are yet to release an official statement on Officer Ezra’s abduction, but residents continue to call for urgent intervention to address the worsening security crisis.
