25 June, 2025
Taiwo Ogunniyi
Three persons were gruesomely killed and a 12-year-old girl abducted in two separate attacks by armed men in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State in the early hours of Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
The Kwara State Police Command confirmed the incidents in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police. The statement, released in Ilorin, said the attacks took place in Mari and Lile villages, both under Lade district of Patigi LGA.
According to the statement, the gunmen struck around 1:30am, killing 35-year-old Timothy Paul in Mari village. In a coordinated attack minutes later in nearby Lile village, 51-year-old Alhaji Abdullahi Shehu and his 22-year-old son, Abdullahi Muhammad, were also shot dead. The victims were later confirmed dead by a medical doctor at a hospital.
In a separate but equally disturbing incident at about 3:00am, four armed men stormed Aiyetoro Fulani Camp and abducted a 12-year-old girl, Hassana Abdullahi, daughter of Mr Abdullahi Jowuro.
Ejire-Adeyemi said, “The scene of the abduction was secured and documented by police operatives. A joint tactical team comprising police officers, vigilantes, and local hunters has since been deployed to comb the bushes in search of the abductors and rescue the victim.”
She further assured that investigations are already underway and that the perpetrators will be brought to justice. “The Command is fully committed to restoring peace and ensuring that those behind this dastardly act are arrested and prosecuted,” she said.
The police urged residents of Patigi and surrounding areas to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activity, as efforts to improve public safety in the area are being intensified.
