A middle-aged farmer, Sunday Alufogejo, has recounted how he narrowly escaped death during separate attacks by suspected bandits in Ondo State and Kwara State, which left scores of residents dead, homes destroyed and communities displaced.

Alufogejo told The Guardian that his first encounter occurred on December 23, 2022, in Kajola area of Ondo State, when armed men invaded the community, kidnapping residents at will.

According to him, he had just returned from his farm when the attackers struck. “Not minding that I had just returned from the farm where I worked late, I ran for my dear life when I realised that it was either I ran or risk being abducted,” he said.

He recalled that several houses, including his own, were set ablaze during the attack. “When I looked back, I saw smoke and felt the hot wind of destruction behind me. The land that had once been my refuge had turned into a battlefield,” he added.

The incident forced him to relocate to Oke-Ode in Ifelodun Local Council of Kwara State to resettle. However, he said peace was short-lived, as the community was also attacked on September 28, 2025, by another group of bandits.

“I came to Oke-Ode to put up with a friend. He and his family welcomed me and my family with warmth, and we slowly began to rebuild our lives in a small rented house.

We joined other farmers and even started to dream again. For the first time since Kajola fell, I felt almost safe,” he said.

That sense of safety vanished on the morning of the attack. “We were doing well until Sunday, September 28, 2025. Our joy was cut short when the community woke up to the staccato of gunfire. I was sleeping when I started hearing gunshots,” Alufogejo recounted.

He said he climbed onto the roof to hide and later came down to a grim scene. “After about 30 minutes, I saw my brother, the Baale, his younger brother and son lying dead in a pool of blood. Their bodies were riddled with bullets. What followed was not just another bandit attack; it was a massacre that shattered the town’s soul.”

Alufogejo was later abducted during the attack but was rescued by the police after spending some days with his captors.

A local hunter, who participated in efforts to repel the attackers, said the community was overwhelmed. “It was a tough battle. They came with sophisticated weapons. We tried our best, but we were overwhelmed. We gave them fire for fire, but the bandits were many,” he said.

According to him, about 15 people were confirmed dead. Those killed included the Baale of Ogba Ayo, Abdulwasiu Abdulkareem; his brother, Fatai Abdulkareem; a prince from Agunjin, Ishola Muhammed; and Abdulfatai Elemosho from Babaloma.

“Families were kidnapped, entire compounds emptied, and hundreds of residents fled in panic,” the hunter added.

“They abandoned farmlands, shops and schools. Oke-Ode, once considered the safest town in the Igbomina axis, is now deserted. Markets that once buzzed with traders are silent.”