In a chilling escalation of Nigeria's ongoing security crisis, armed bandits operating in the forested border regions of Kwara and Kogi States have issued a stark one-week ultimatum to the residents of Isapa community, demanding N300 million ($180,000) for the release of 10 abducted individuals. The kidnappers, who struck on November 25, 2025, have warned that failure to comply will result in the execution of the captives and a renewed assault on the village, potentially claiming many more lives. This brazen demand, confirmed by local leaders, underscores the deepening grip of banditry on rural communities in Nigeria's North-Central zone, where porous borders and vast woodlands have become safe havens for criminal gangs.
The attack on Isapa, a sleepy agrarian settlement in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, unfolded around 6:00 p.m. on November 24, 2025—though initial reports cited the following day due to the late-hour chaos. Eyewitnesses described a scene of pandemonium as 20 to 30 heavily armed men, some herding large cattle herds, descended on the village via the Obbo-Ile route. Firing AK-47 rifles sporadically to disperse residents, the assailants ransacked homes, leaving bullet-riddled walls and expended shell casings scattered across the dirt paths. Among the 10 confirmed victims—though community sources initially reported 11—are vulnerable groups including a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, several children, and northern settlers who had made Isapa their home. One elderly woman was shot in the leg during the frenzy but survived after receiving treatment at a local clinic.
Mr. A. Adeyeye, the head hunter (chief traditional security chief) of Isapa, provided a harrowing firsthand account to journalists on December 3, 2025. "The bandits called us on Sunday [November 30] and said they had reduced the ransom to N300 million," Adeyeye recounted, his voice heavy with exhaustion from days of futile negotiations. Initially, the gang had demanded a staggering N500 million ($300,000), but after community pleas, they bargained down—still rejecting a counteroffer of just N5 million as "insultingly low." The kidnappers, speaking in a mix of Hausa and broken Yoruba via a victim's phone, issued the deadline explicitly: Pay by December 10, or "we will kill the abductees one by one." They further terrorized the villagers by vowing a reprisal raid "to kill a lot of people this time," amplifying fears in a community already scarred by recent violence.
Compounding the dread, the bandits boasted of their reach beyond Kwara, claiming responsibility for a brutal church attack in neighboring Ejiba, Kogi State, on November 30, 2025. In that incident, gunmen stormed a Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S) church during Sunday service, abducting the pastor—known locally as "Baba Orlando"—his wife, and at least a dozen worshippers amid chaotic gunfire. Eyewitnesses in Ejiba recounted how the attackers, who had apparently lain in wait in nearby bushes, herded victims into the forest without mercy, leaving the sanctuary in disarray with speakers still blaring hymns. Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, confirmed the assault and announced an intensified manhunt, including aerial surveillance, but no victims have been freed as of December 4. The Isapa kidnappers' claim suggests a coordinated network exploiting the shared forest corridors between the states, a tactic increasingly common in Nigeria's banditry epidemic.
This latest outrage in Isapa is not isolated but part of a ferocious wave battering Kwara State. Just 10 days earlier, on November 18, 2025, bandits raided the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Oke-Igan in nearby Eruku—also in Ekiti LGA—abducting 38 worshippers during a thanksgiving service and killing three others. The Eruku attackers initially sought N3.8 billion ($2.3 million) in ransom—N100 million per victim—before federal intervention led to the captives' release without payment on November 23, thanks to a joint military-police operation. President Bola Tinubu hailed the rescue as a "triumph of coordinated security efforts," ordering 900 additional troops to Kwara and a 24-hour aerial cordon over regional forests. Yet, the Isapa strike—mere kilometers from Eruku—exposed the fragility of these gains, with one family of seven, including a man previously ransomed for N2 million last year, among the new victims.
Kwara, once viewed as a relative bastion of peace in Nigeria's volatile Middle Belt, has seen a 300% surge in kidnappings this year, according to local security trackers. Over 490 abductions nationwide in the past two weeks alone highlight a national emergency, fueled by armed herder-farmer clashes, arms proliferation, and economic desperation. In Isapa, a farming hub reliant on yam, cassava, and cattle grazing, the raids disrupt livelihoods and erode trust in authorities. "We can't farm, we can't sleep—the forests are their kingdom now," lamented Abayomi Daramola, treasurer of the Isapa Peoples Union, noting how bandits targeted returnees from prior ransoms to maximize fear.
The Kwara State Police Command, led by Commissioner Adekimi Ojo, swiftly mobilized after the Isapa incursion. Ojo personally visited the village on November 25, consulting with traditional rulers like Oba Gbenga Adeyeye (Onisapa of Isapa) and mobilizing vigilantes for joint patrols. "We are combing the forests linking Kwara to Kogi and Ekiti," stated Police Public Relations Officer SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, emphasizing drone surveillance and community tips. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has inaugurated the "Safer Kwara" committee, chaired by Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi, to craft a multi-tiered security blueprint involving locals, traditional leaders, and federal assets. Yet, critics argue that reactive measures fall short; Senior Advocate Wahab Shittu called for "community-based security structures" like fortified vigilante networks and early-warning systems.
Nationally, the Isapa and Ejiba attacks have reignited debates on counter-terrorism. Rights groups like Amnesty International decry ransom negotiations as tacit endorsement of crime, urging prosecutions under anti-kidnapping laws. Economically, these incidents drain communities: Kwara's agrarian output has dipped 15% due to displaced farmers, per state agriculture reports.
As the ultimatum clock ticks—now under six days—Isapa huddles in prayer vigils and emergency meetings. "We have no N300 million; our total wealth isn't that," Adeyeye told reporters, pleading for federal rescue ops. Families of the abducted, including the pregnant Sarah Sunday and nursing mother Lami Fidelis, cling to hope amid whispers of torture in captivity. For Nigeria, this is more than a local tragedy—it's a siren for systemic reform, from border fortifications to youth empowerment, lest the bandits' shadows engulf the nation's core.
