A group of terrorists operating in a forest located between Ikoro village in Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti states have chopped off the left hand of one Mr. Lanlege Adewale.

Mr. Lanlege Adewale is from Ogbe, a community in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The terrorists said they carried out the action to protest the imposition of Sharia law on a parcel of land occupied by terrorists in Kogi State.

The Guardian in Lokoja found out that the incident took place last Saturday after the victim was kidnapped and taken to a territory near Ikoro in Kogi State, where scores of armed terrorists have seized control.

It was learnt that the victim was travelling between Ogbe and Ikoro, Kogi State, alongside some women when all of them, including three women and two men, were kidnapped by armed men they identified as Fulani herdsmen.

The kidnapped victims were held captive in a territory in the bush near Kogi. The forest also extends to Kwara and Ekiti states and is currently controlled by the terrorists.

Narrating his ordeal after he was released, he said, “While in the forest, the women were separated. They told us they had come to implement Sharia across Yoruba States and to take over the land. They told us they wanted me to go and pass on the message to other people. They said they were preparing for Jihad that would extend to the Atlantic Ocean.”

He said the armed men wore military uniforms, had AK-47 rifles, and had several maps showing the entire country.
When contacted, General Secretary of the Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements (AYDM), Mr. Popoola Ajayi, said the incident has confirmed the fears of many conscious Yoruba people.

‘What we are seeing is a terrorist movement. These terrorists have no cattle and they are not in Yorubaland to graze their cattle but to conquer and take over Yorubaland,’ describing the incident as a ‘clear message that Jihad is here with us.’

A relation of Lanlege said that after cutting his hand off, he was released, leaving him to treat his wounds.
He said, “We don’t know how he managed to survive. Blood gushed out of his hand for hours. He was eventually released without ransom paid. The kidnappers said he should go and show his hands to his people.”

Not too long ago, the traditional ruler of Ikoro, a retired General, was shot dead by suspected terrorists.
Police sources said the Kogi State Government has intensified efforts to rid the forest of terrorists.