Communities in Kwara’s Ekiti Local Government Area were plunged into panic on Monday evening after gunmen stormed Isapa, abducting a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, several children and other residents in a coordinated assault that lasted minutes but delivered devastating consequences. The attack occurred around 6 p.m. on November 24, according to multiple community accounts and early reporting from local outlets.

Isapa, a quiet settlement near Eruku, has endured increasing threats in recent months. Monday’s incident marks the second major attack in the axis within weeks and mirrors the rising pattern of violent raids resurfacing across North Central Nigeria.

Residents said the attackers, numbering between 20 and 30, arrived with a large herd of cattle and immediately opened fire. Witnesses described the chaos as bullets tore through homes and streets. An elderly woman was reportedly struck by a stray bullet during the assault.

A community leader confirmed that 11 people were abducted, including seven members of the same family. Among those taken were a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, and several minors.

The victims, as identified by locals, include:

Talatu Kabiru, Magaji, Kande, Hadiza, Mariam, Saima, Habibat (housewife), Fatima Yusufu (housewife), Sarah Sunday (pregnant woman), Lami Fidelis (nursing mother) and Haja Na Allah.

Witnesses said the attackers moved from one section of the community to another, breaking into compounds, firing into the air, and forcing residents out of their homes. Bullet holes were reportedly found across walls and doors the following morning. Spent AK 47 shells were recovered throughout Isapa.

A second front of violence near Eruku

Monday’s assault came barely days after another deadly attack in nearby Eruku, where gunmen raided a branch of the Christ Apostolic Church during a meeting and opened fire on worshippers.

Witnesses describe a scene of terror.

“One minute they walked in, the next minute they were shooting. Three people were killed on the spot,” a source told SaharaReporters. “They forced others out at gunpoint and marched them into the bush. We do not yet know how many were taken.”

Both incidents suggest a widening corridor of insecurity linking multiple Kwara border communities, where attackers appear to be using bush paths to evade detection, escape quickly and move abductees across state lines.