SUSPECTED bandits have reportedly attacked Kemanji community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, leaving several people dead.

The attack was said to have occurred in the early hours of Monday, around 3:00 a.m., days after the community allegedly received a threat notice that heightened fear among residents.

Gunmen stormed the community, fired indiscriminately and forced villagers to flee.

Security operatives, including soldiers and local vigilantes, responded swiftly and engaged the attackers in a gun duel.

Punch reported that accounts from the scene showed that several soldiers were killed while repelling the attack, while a member of a local vigilante group was also shot.

“It’s very pathetic and disheartening. The entire community is in a state of panic, and many villagers have fled. No one can yet predict the number of victims involved,” Aliyu, a resident of Kaiama, said.

The attackers also reportedly made away with military patrol vehicles and motorcycles before fleeing.

“The terrorists came directly to the military camp and opened fire on soldiers,” a forest guard who fights alongside military operatives said”, adding, “They killed three soldiers and injured four others (three soldiers and a local vigilante).”

Another local vigilante source noted that some of the attackers were killed during the gun battle.

Although multiple armed groups operate in the area, the attack has been linked to Ansaru fighters, who have previously engaged security forces in the village in fierce gun battles.

The ICIR reports that Kwara State has faced a major security crisis for months.

In February, gunmen attacked villages in the Kaiama area, killing over 160 people in Woro and Nuku communities because the villagers refused to obey their orders.

There have been many kidnappings and raids in other parts of the state including Ifelodun LGA.

Attempts to get the reaction of the Kwara State Police Command to the incident failed as its spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, did not answer calls or reply to messages sent to him by The ICIR reporter.