Armed bandits struck early on Sunday in a cross-border cattle settlement near Ekuku, Kwara State, stealing livestock and torching a local vigilante vehicle, capping a week of deadly ambushes that have left communities in Kwara South reeling from kidnappings, killings, and pleas for urgent security aid.

The assault unfolded around 6:30 a.m. on September 14, 2025, when a large group of gunmen targeted the Ekuku site, close to the Egbe border in Kogi State's Yagba West Local Government Area. Intelligence sources confirmed the raiders made off with numerous cows before setting ablaze a vehicle used by vigilantes from Ekiti Local Government Area in Kwara.

A video circulating on social media showed the charred remains, with a local security member reporting in English and Yoruba: "Bandits attacked us at Ekuku today. Many cows were stolen and a vigilante vehicle was burnt to ashes... State government, please, come to our aid; these bastards are everywhere. They are uncontrollable."

This incident followed a brutal ambush on September 10 in Isanlu Isin, Isin Local Government Area, where bandits killed two vigilantes, left six missing, and destroyed over 27 motorcycles – key tools for rapid response in the rural terrain. The attack came after intelligence warned of an impending invasion; community defenders from Isanlu Isin, bolstered by reinforcements from Omu-Aran, Oko, Ola, and nearby areas, were lured into a trap while patrolling. Despite fierce resistance, the vigilantes suffered heavy losses, with residents later blocking the Ilorin-Lokoja highway in protest, halting traffic for hours to highlight their desperation.

The broader crisis in Kwara South, once known for its calm, traces back over two months to raids on Fulani herder settlements around Isanlu Isin. Attackers kidnapped residents, demanding hefty ransoms – totaling millions of naira for some releases – and leaving others unaccounted for. Displaced Fulani families fled to uncompleted buildings in town, a shift locals reported to authorities but say went unaddressed until the violence escalated.

Police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi confirmed the Commissioner of Police, Victor Olawale, is coordinating with other agencies to restore calm, describing the Isanlu operation as a collaborative effort. No official comment has emerged on the Ekuku raid, but sources indicate troops and hunters are active in nearby Awi Forest following similar incidents. Residents, caught between herder displacements and bandit threats, express frustration over delayed responses, with some noting over 30 motorcycles burned across recent attacks, crippling local patrols.

As forests bordering Kogi and other states harbor the gunmen, the raids underscore Kwara's slide into a banditry hotspot, mirroring surges in neighboring Niger and Plateau. Communities await reinforcements, but for now, the cycle of ambushes and appeals persists, testing the limits of grassroots defense in a region starved for stability.