By Correspondent in Ilorin.
The people of Isanlu Isin, a once-peaceful agrarian community in Kwara State, have made a desperate appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigerian Army to urgently rescue them from the grip of armed bandits who have reduced their town to a killing field.
“Our people are bleeding. Our women, children, and elders live in constant fear. We cannot continue to be abandoned like this,” lamented Dr. Jacob Ayanda, Vice President of the Isanlu Isin Development Association, said in a message he shared on Saturday on his Facebook account.
For over two months, the community has been under siege by criminal gangs who unleash terror through kidnappings, shootings, and ransom demands. Families have been forced to part with millions of naira, yet many abducted victims remain unaccounted for,he said.
Dr. Ayanda recalled that the nightmare started with the brutal sacking of Fulani settlements around the town, adding that residents were kidnapped, shot, or left for dead, forcing Fulani families to abandon their homes.
Today, many of them live in uncompleted buildings within Isanlu Isin,a development reported to authorities but ignored,he explained.
The vice president of the association further disclosed that just a few days ago, intelligence reached the town that the bandits were plotting another invasion. Two spies were reportedly sent in; one was captured.
He said in response, the local Vigilante Group, supported by neighboring towns such as Omu-Aran, Oko, and Ola, mobilized for defense but regretted what was meant to be a courageous stand turned into tragedy , pointing out that vigilantes walked into a deadly ambush.
The result was devastating:
27 motorcycles belonging to vigilantes were set ablaze.
two gallant defenders were killed.six others remain missing., adding that with their motorcycles destroyed, the vigilantes,the only shield between the community and the bandits,have been stripped of mobility and morale and no longer respond swiftly to distress calls, leaving the people exposed and vulnerable.
He said in sheer desperation, residents blocked the Ilorin–Lokoja highway, not out of lawlessness, but to draw the nation’s attention to their plight and to the disturbing silence of the authorities.
He called on the three tier of government,police and military to intervene by combing the community’s forests “now swarming with bandits.”
He said the people of Isanlu Isin are now demanding concrete action from the federal government:, including replacing the destroyed motorcycles and equipment of vigilantes ,and aunch iurgent search-and-rescue operations for the missing men.,flush ing out bandits from surrounding forests.
“For now, the blood of the slain vigilantes cries out for justice, while the fate of the missing men hangs in painful uncertainty,” he said.
“President Tinubu, save us now before it is too late,” Dr. Ayanda pleaded.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
2.Bandits Turn Isanlu Isin Into a Killing Field as Community Cries for Rescue
By Correspondent in Ilorin.
Isanlu Isin, a quiet agrarian community in Kwara State, has become the stage of a terrifying crime wave that has left its residents living in fear, grief, and uncertainty.
Dr. Jacob Ayanda, Vice President, Isanlu Isin Development Association, disclosed this on his Facebook page on Saturday and available to The Reporters.
According to him,for over two months, criminal bandits have unleashed a reign of terror,kidnapping, shooting, and extorting families.
“Our people are bleeding. Our women, children, and elders live in constant fear. We cannot continue to be abandoned like this,” Dr. Ayanda lamented.
He further revealed that the problem of the community began with the brutal sacking of Fulani settlements around the town adding that several residents were kidnapped, shot, or left for dead, while families were forced to pay millions of naira in ransom, saying that. despite these sacrifices, many abducted victims remain missing.
He noted that in the chaos, Fulani families abandoned their homes and now reside in uncompleted buildings within the community, pointing out that the alarming development was duly reported to authorities, yet met with disturbing inaction.
The vice president of the association recalled that few days ago, intelligence filtered into the town that the bandits were planning a fresh invasion.
He said in response,two spies were sent ahead but regretted that one was captured, adding that when the community’s vigilantes, supported by neighboring towns,Omu-Aran, Oko, Ola,mobilized to defend their land, they fell into a deadly ambush.
The aftermath was devastating:27 motorcycles belonging to vigilantes were torched.,two brave defenders were killed.six others remain missing, he said.
According to him, the vigilantes, the community’s only line of defense, have now been stripped of mobility and morale, saying that with their resources destroyed, they can no longer respond swiftly to distress calls.
Dr. Ayanda further disclosed that in a desperate bid to draw attention to their plight, angry residents blocked the Ilorin, Lokoja highway,not out of lawlessness, but as a cry for help.
Yet, despite repeated appeals, no government agency—local, state, or federal,has intervened. Neither the police nor the military has launched rescue operations for the missing men or combed the forests now infested with armed bandits.
“Our people are bleeding. Our women, children, and elders live in constant fear. We cannot continue to be abandoned like this,” cried Dr. Jacob Ayanda, Vice President of the Isanlu Isin Development Association.
The community is now appealing directly to President Bola Tinubu, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigerian Army to intervene before the entire area collapses under the weight of insecurity and government negligence.
Their demands are simple:
Replace the destroyed motorcycles of vigilantes.
Launch urgent search-and-rescue operations.
Flush out the bandits from surrounding forests.
Restore confidence that government still exists for the people.
For now, the blood of the slain cries out for justice, and the missing men’s fate remains unknown. The people of Isanlu Isin say they speak not just for themselves but for every forgotten Nigerian community where crime thrives unchecked and the government’s silence screams louder than its presence.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
