Catholic priests march against mass killings in Taraba
Residents of Oba community in Isin Local Council of Kwara State are calling for urgent government intervention after armed bandits invaded the town on Wednesday night, killing a forest guard and abducting his wife.
 
The attack, which occurred around 8:00 p.m., left the community in shock and mourning.

The slain vigilante, Raimi Ogunrinde, was among the recently deployed guards by the Kwara State government to strengthen local security.
 
Community sources said the gunmen stormed the area in what appeared to be a coordinated operation. Ogunrinde was shot dead during the attack, while his wife was whisked away by the assailants and remains in captivity.
 
In tears, his daughter, Kafayat, said the family only heard from the kidnappers in the early hours of yesterday.
 
“We just heard from them this morning (yesterday). They are asking for N100,000,000. I can’t explain this. I’m finished. I need help,” she said.
 
Speaking on behalf of the traditional ruler of the community, President of the Oba Development Association (ODA), Sunday Oladiji, described the incident as heartbreaking and a major blow to the town’s local security efforts.
 
He said the late Ogunrinde had been one of the committed local guards safeguarding the community against banditry and terrorism before his “unfortunate and untimely demise.” 

Oladiji lamented the worsening security situation across the state and appealed to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to urgently intervene.
 
Reacting to the incident, the Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, confirmed the attack, adding that security agencies mobilised immediately.

In a related vein, Catholic priests, religious leaders and faithful from the dioceses of Wukari and Jalingo, yesterday, staged a peaceful protest in Jalingo, the Taraba capital, condemning the continued mass killings of farmers in parts of Takum, Donga and Ussa council areas of the state.
 
Brandishing placards of various inscriptions, the protesters expressed frustration over what they described as the seeming indifference of relevant authorities.
 
The protest, tagged a “solidarity walk,” was to draw attention to attacks on communities in Chanchanji Ward of Takum, where the worst of the violence occurred.
 
The area has recorded over 80 deaths within 90 days, according to church sources, while thousands have been displaced and properties destroyed.
 
Vicar Pastoral of the Catholic Diocese of Wukari, Very Rev. Fr. James Yaro, noted that the attacks had resulted in the destruction of more than 200 churches and communities. He added that the violence was a direct violation of the constitutional right to freedom of religion of affected residents.
 
Yaro said the crisis, which he claimed began in September 2025, had left more than 90,000 Catholics displaced across the region.
 
He accused suspected Fulani militia of carrying out the attacks, often arriving in the early hours of the morning and killing residents while they slept.

The cleric said attackers also set homes and farms ablaze, seized farmlands, and prevented displaced residents from returning to harvest their crops.