22 Killed in Plateau Attack as Kidnappers Strike Ondo, Protests Hit Ibadan

Nigeria’s insecurity crisis flared across three states on June 23, with deadly attacks in Plateau and Ondo and protests in Oyo over unresolved abductions.

Gunmen attacked Kawel village in Mushere District, Bokkos LGA, late Sunday night, killing at least 22 people. Victims included health workers and patients at the community’s Primary Health Care Centre, plus civilians and security personnel. Several others were injured.

Plateau Police said armed assailants invaded the community and were engaged by police and VCRU operatives, forcing them to retreat. The death toll was initially put at 20 but rose to 22 after two injured victims died. Bokkos Youth Leader Christopher Luka confirmed women were among the dead and that burials were delayed by rain.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang condemned the attack as “heinous and senseless” and ordered security agencies to intensify operations and apprehend the perpetrators. The state government also directed emergency agencies to provide relief to victims and warned against reprisals.

The attack came less than a week after the killing of Gwande District Head, Saf Samuel Alaket, in the same LGA.

Panic gripped Owo Sunday night after two separate kidnapping attempts. Around 7 p.m., six gunmen tried to abduct community chairman Pastor Taiwo Taiwo but were driven off by police in a gun battle. He and his family were rescued unharmed.

Hours later, around 11:30 p.m., gunmen invaded a home in Gbegun community, Alhaja Camp. They shot 39-year-old Daniel Ologun in the leg and abducted his wife Taibat, 34, and their children aged 4 and 2. Police and army launched a rescue operation and recovered the mother and children unharmed by 1:50 a.m. after the kidnappers fled with gunshot injuries. Daniel is receiving treatment at Federal Medical Centre, Owo.

Parts of Ibadan were shut down yesterday as Take It Back Movement protesters blocked the Iwo Road interchange from 10 a.m., demanding action over the May 15 abduction of 39 pupils and 7 teachers from three schools in Oriire LGA. The victims remain in captivity.

Protest coordinator Juwon Sanyaolu said the action would continue until all captives are freed. Traffic was paralyzed for hours.

South-West DIG Adegoke Fayoade assured during a visit to Lagos that security agencies are working to secure the release of the Oyo schoolchildren “within the shortest possible time” and said efforts focus on rescue, not ransom. He also cited ongoing plans to improve police manpower, welfare, and technology-driven policing.

Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Igboho, responding to criticism from Concerned Fulani People of Nigeria, said his security advocacy targets criminals only, not any ethnic group. “Crime has no colour or race,” his spokesman Olayomi Koiki stated

Catholic Bishops of the Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province condemned the reintegration of “repentant” terrorists into society and security structures, saying it undermines justice for victims. They called for accountability, improved intelligence, and state police to address local security threats