The Kwara State Police Command has launched an aggressive manhunt for suspects involved in a violent community clash that left two people dead in Ilesha Baruba, Baruten Local Government Area.
The tragic development was officially disclosed in a public statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi.
According to the police statement, the deadly incident initially began after a violent altercation erupted between an unidentified Fulani man and a local Islamic scholar, Mohammed Ilyasu.
Both individuals sustained severe machete injuries during the initial fight, with Ilyasu being tragically confirmed dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.
The unidentified Fulani man was rushed to the same facility for medical attention, but he later succumbed to his wounds while receiving emergency treatment.
Following the deaths, an angry mob of local youths reportedly stormed the medical facility, violently seized the corpse of the deceased Fulani suspect, and set it ablaze.
The situation quickly escalated into a wider riot, during which an innocent bystander passing through the area was also attacked and burnt to death by the mob.
The police further stated that about 10 buildings belonging to members of the local Fulani community, including the residence of the Ardo Fulani, Alhaji Hassan, were razed during the retaliatory violence.
Security operatives comprising police personnel and military officers were swiftly deployed to the crisis zone and have since successfully restored normalcy to the area.
The Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, strongly condemned the lawless attacks, warning citizens, “No individual or group has the right to take the law into their own hands irrespective of the circumstances surrounding any incident.”
