In the weeks before the tragedy, whispers of an impending bandits’ invasion echoed through the community. Residents raised alarms, reporting their fears to security agencies. Yet, no tangible action followed. For one widow, the failure of authorities to act turned those rumours into a personal nightmare that would shatter her life forever.
“I am a hunter and attend our community security meetings. I knew danger was looming,” she said, her voice heavy with grief. “We told the authorities, but they ignored us.”
Her late husband had sensed trouble too. On Saturday, a day before the attack, he cautioned her not to travel at night, warning of a dark premonition. At the time, she was in Sagamu, Ogun State, buying goods for her business. He insisted she remain there until the following morning.
By Sunday morning, as she approached Agunjin town, near Oke-Ode, the devastating call came in: bandits had stormed their community. Rushing back, she was confronted with horror. Her husband — a prince of Agunjin — was dead, alongside his younger brother and brother-in-law.
“I was told the bandits even tried to abduct my husband’s younger sister. They killed her husband but failed to take her away. They also asked for my mother-in-law, who had just returned from Hajj. She was spared, but they stole her bag and phones. Today, she is in Lagos, trying to recover from the shock.”
The bloodbath spared no one. A villager named Taiye, his wife, and their two-month-old baby were kidnapped straight from the hospital. A doctor, popularly known as Baba Gold, was abducted alongside his wife and children. In Alade, the attackers gunned down a Bororo man and a Hausa trader before advancing into Oke-Ode.
The cruelty continued. Oluode Ologomo, whose wife had just delivered a baby, was shot dead after bandits stripped him of his protective charms that had made him bulletproof. By the end of the assault, 22 people lay dead and several more were kidnapped.
Weapons Seized Before Attack
The widow blames the scale of the attack on what she described as a deliberate weakening of the community’s defences.
“A day before the attack, an officer supervising the hunters came from Abuja and seized the vigilantes’ guns, claiming they needed repairs. Our only line of defence was left unarmed against bandits carrying sophisticated weapons. That was how they overpowered us,” she lamented.
Claims of External Involvement
Her grief is compounded by disturbing claims that the bandits were not working alone.
“Earlier in May, a young man escaped from their camp and told us that fighters were flown in from Katsina to Kwara by helicopter at night, with weapons supplied to them. He warned us to prepare. Since then, we have often seen helicopters flying over the forests at night. These attackers are not just local criminals — they are being externally aided.”
A Targeted Family
She is convinced her family was deliberately targeted.
“They asked my sister-in-law about my mother-in-law, who had just returned from Hajj. Before I left town, people were saying the bandits were coming for me because I am a hunter and had once boasted that Oke-Ode could never be attacked. I know they came for us specifically.”
Her husband, his brother, and brother-in-law were gunned down on the road, not far from the hunters’ security post, which the bandits first attacked.
Oke-Ode: From Safe Haven to Horror Ground
The widow explained that before this massacre, Oke-Ode had enjoyed relative peace.
“This was the first time Oke-Ode was directly attacked. For years, it was regarded as one of the safest towns, even as kidnappings spread through Ifelodun Local Government. Bandits had been raiding farms, abducting villagers, and killing farmers since March, but they had never touched us. We thought our hunters and vigilantes were prepared. Sadly, they struck when we least expected.”
Today, Oke-Ode lies vulnerable. The military, once stationed there after neighbouring villages were attacked, was redeployed weeks ago. Now, apart from a small police presence, there is little protection.
Leadership Vacuum, Lingering Fear
The community also grapples with a leadership vacuum. Oke-Ode has been without a king for over three years due to disputes among the kingmakers and princes, leaving critical decisions in the hands of a divided community development association.
As grief hangs heavy over the town, residents continue to demand justice, protection, and leadership. For the widow who lost her husband and two close relatives, the pain remains unbearable.
“There were moments I thought of ending it all,” she admitted quietly. “Losing my husband, my in-laws, and watching our people slaughtered… I felt life was no longer worth living. But I know I must stay strong, if not for myself, then for the memory of those we lost.”