Suspected bandits dressed in military uniform have killed a local vigilante in a deadly ambush between Alabe and Idera communities in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, marking the second major security breach in the area this year.
The victim, Habeeb Bello, popularly known as Adehi Olooka Ere, was attacked and killed around 6 p.m. on Friday, June 12, 2026, while riding his motorcycle from Alabe to Ikosin.
Community sources confirmed that the bandits laid in wait for Bello before opening fire. He was described as one of the “brave vigilantes” protecting Alabe Community in Ile-Ire Ward.
Eyewitness accounts indicate the attackers were clad in military camouflage, raising fresh concerns about bandits impersonating security forces to evade suspicion and strike rural communities.
“The confirmed information indicates that those people are on Military uniform,” a community group stated after reporting the incident to the Police Headquarters.
The Kwara State Police Command has promised to investigate the killing. However, residents say confidence is waning after repeated attacks.
This is the second violent incident to hit Alabe Community between January and June 2026. On January 21, 2026, bandits kidnapped Alhaja Munirat Olubakinde and her cousin Muftau Owolabi. The elderly Munirat was abandoned and released after she collapsed on the road, while Muftau was freed a week later only after ransom was paid.
The pattern of attacks kidnapping in January, targeted killing of a vigilante in June suggests bandits are systematically dismantling local security structures in Ifelodun LGA. The killing of Bello, a known community defender, leaves Alabe and neighboring Idera more exposed.
Security analysts warn that the use of military uniforms by non-state actors represents a direct threat to national security, eroding public trust and complicating the work of legitimate forces. Ifelodun, a border LGA in Kwara South, has seen rising incursions from armed groups exploiting forest routes between Kwara, Osun, and Ekiti states.
Community leaders are now “indulging the Police to kindly carry out” a thorough, swift probe and deploy tactical units to the Alabe-Idera-Ikosin axis. They demand that authorities unmask how bandits access military kits and why vigilantes, who fill gaps left by overstretched police, are being hunted.
With 2027 elections approaching, the latest killing intensifies pressure on federal and state governments to secure rural wards where voter turnout and safety are already threatened by insecurity.
Our correspondent gathered that As of no arrests have been made. The body of Habeeb Bello has been recovered by community members.
