Oba killing: Soldiers take over Kwara town

Security agents have, on Saturday, taken over Koro town in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.

This development followed the gruesome killing of the Onikoro of Koro, Oba Segun Aremu, who was shot dead in his palace, and the abduction of his wife and two neighbours on Thursday evening.

However, a resident of the town, who did not disclose his name for security reasons, told Sunday PUNCH that policemen, men of the Nigerian Army, and other security agents had cordoned off the area to ensure the security of residents.

“Policemen and soldiers have come here to the town. They are present here, fully armed with their Armoured Personnel Carrier and have commenced a stop-and-search operation on residents to ensure that there is security.

“They are not harassing any passerby; they are just here to prevent the recurrence of the tragedy. They have been joined by local vigilante groups and hunters in town and they have been combing the forests in the town to catch bandits or kidnappers that might be nesting in the forest and possibly rescue their victims,” the source stated.

The immediate brother of the late monarch had told our correspondent in a phone interview on Friday that the town had been terrorised by bandits for some years and that many residents had abandoned their farms to avoid being attacked.

The spokesperson for the Kwara State Police Command, Ejire-Adeyemi Toun, in a statement on Friday, disclosed that the command had begun an investigation and promised to arrest and prosecute the monarch’s killers.