A middle-aged man, Sunday Alufogejo, has recounted how he narrowly escaped death during separate attacks by masked bandits in Ondo and Kwara States.

Alufogejo said he first escaped on 23 December 2022 in Kajola, Ondo State, when bandits invaded the community, abducting anyone they could find. He had just returned from the farm when he realised the danger.

“Not minding that I had just returned from the farm where I worked late, I ran for my dear life when I realised that it was either I run or risk being abducted,” he told the Guardian.

He recalled that many homes, including his own, were burnt down. “When I looked back, I saw smoke and I felt the hot wind of destruction behind me. The one-time land that had once been my refuge had turned into a battlefield,” he said.

Following the attack, Alufogejo relocated to Oke-Ode in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State to rebuild his life.

However, barely two years later, his new home was also targeted. On 28 September 2025, another group of bandits attacked Oke-Ode, reportedly killing, maiming, and abducting residents.

“I came to Oke-Ode to put up with a friend. He and his family welcomed my family and me with warmth, and we slowly began to rebuild our lives in a small rented house. We joined other farmers and even started to dream again. For the first time since Kajola fell, I felt almost safe,” he said.

Alufogejo recalled the horror of that morning: “It was early in the morning, and I was sleeping when I started hearing gunshots. I quickly climbed the roof to hide. After about 30 minutes, I came down and saw my brother, the Baale, his younger brother, and son lying dead in a pool of blood. Their bodies were riddled with bullets. What followed was not just another bandit attack; it was a massacre that shattered the town’s soul.”

Alufogejo was eventually abducted but rescued by the police after several days with the bandits.

One local hunter described the scale of the attack: “It was a tough battle. Those people came with sophisticated weapons. We tried our best, but we were overwhelmed. We gave them fire for fire; the bandits were many. When the smoke cleared, no fewer than 15 people were confirmed dead. Some of those who died included the Baale of Ogba Ayo, Abdulwasiu Abdulkareem; his brother, Fatai Abdulkareem; a prince from Agunjin, Ishola Muhammed; and Abdulfatai Elemosho from Babaloma. Families were kidnapped, entire compounds emptied, and hundreds of residents fled in panic.”

The hunter added that farmlands, shops, and schools were abandoned, leaving Oke-Ode—once considered the safest town in the Igbomina axis—deserted. “Markets that once buzzed with traders are silent,” he lamented. (The Guardian)

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