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Kwara Cleric Says Bandit Threat Forced Family, Over 100 Residents From Church Camp

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A Christian cleric in Kwara State says he and his family have been forced into hiding for months after a security warning prompted the evacuation of a ministry camp housing more than 100 people, including orphaned children, elderly residents and other vulnerable people. Rev. Isaac Omolehin, founder of Word Assembly Ministries in Ilorin, said residents fled the organisation's facility at Idofian in Ifelodun Local Government Area after police reportedly warned them that suspected kidnappers were approaching the camp. Post image According to an account released through his spokesperson, Grace Edema, police officers arrived around midnight between May 30 and May 31, 2026, and instructed residents to leave immediately. Omolehin said the camp has remained deserted since then. The cleric further alleged that the suspected attackers eventually reached the facility after its evacuation but found nobody there. Tokenpress could not independently confirm that part of his account, and no separate public statement from the Kwara State Police Command confirming the reported incident was located during checks for this article. More Than 100 People Reportedly Displaced The consequences of the evacuation extend beyond Omolehin and his immediate family. According to the cleric, more than 100 people connected to the ministry facility have been scattered across different locations since the security scare. The camp reportedly operated a primary school and secondary school as well as a hospital, an elderly people's home and a rehabilitation facility for vulnerable women rescued from the streets. It also accommodated orphaned children, some of whom Omolehin said had been referred to the organisation by government authorities. With residents unable to return, educational and medical activities at the facility have reportedly stopped. Omolehin said his family has also been moving between different locations because he fears returning home or maintaining a predictable routine. He described himself, his wife and children as effectively homeless despite still owning their residence. Cleric Says Authorities Yet to Clear Their Return One of Omolehin's major concerns is uncertainty over whether the facility is now safe enough for residents to return. He said the organisation contacted the police seeking guidance because officers had reportedly ordered the original evacuation. According to him, reports were also submitted to the Department of State Services and the Kwara State Ministry of Social Welfare, which has responsibilities relating to facilities caring for vulnerable people. Omolehin said his organisation had yet to receive clearance allowing residents to return safely. Tokenpress has not independently confirmed the status of those reported communications with the agencies. The cleric is now appealing to both the Federal Government and Kwara State Government for stronger security around the facility so its residents can return and its humanitarian services resume. Abandoned Camp Allegedly Looted Although Omolehin said the suspected kidnappers did not destroy the buildings, he alleged that other people subsequently took advantage of the abandoned facility and removed property. He specifically distinguished the alleged looters from the armed men he believes originally intended to attack the camp. According to his account, items including fans, refrigerators and mattresses were later taken from the deserted property. The scale and circumstances of the reported looting have not been independently established. Omolehin Also Reports Attack in Kogi The cleric also made a more serious allegation concerning his ancestral community in neighbouring Kogi State. Omolehin said that three days after the Kwara incident, his village in Kogi was attacked and some residents were killed. He suggested that the attackers may have targeted the village after failing to find him at the Kwara facility. However, the claimed connection between the two incidents has not been independently established. Without confirmation from security agencies identifying the attackers in both locations, it would be premature to conclude that the same armed group was responsible or that the Kogi attack occurred specifically because the suspects failed to find Omolehin in Kwara. Security Concerns Affect Vulnerable Residents Beyond the circumstances surrounding the alleged threat against Omolehin, the prolonged closure has raised concerns about people who depended on the ministry's services. Children previously attending school at the facility have reportedly been unable to return, while its hospital and other services remain suspended. Omolehin argued that the situation deserves government intervention particularly because some vulnerable children under the ministry's care had originally been referred there through government channels. He is asking authorities to provide sufficient security to allow residents to return without exposing them to potential kidnapping or other violence. Reports of the situation have appeared across several Nigerian publications, including Punch, The Guardian, The Sun, THISDAY and PM News. The accounts are broadly consistent about the reported evacuation date, number of displaced residents and facilities operated by the ministry. However, they rely substantially on information supplied by Omolehin and his spokesperson. Questions Await Official Clarification Several important questions therefore remain unanswered. Public confirmation from security authorities would help establish the intelligence that reportedly prompted the May evacuation, whether armed men subsequently reached the camp and whether authorities currently consider the area unsafe. Further evidence would also be needed to substantiate Omolehin's suggestion that the attack in his Kogi community was connected to the alleged attempt to target him in Kwara. What is clear from Omolehin's public account is that the ministry says its camp has remained abandoned for months and more than 100 residents have been unable to resume their previous lives there. The cleric is now calling on authorities to restore sufficient security for the displaced residents—including children and other vulnerable people—to return. Until security agencies provide additional information, however, the specific identities and intentions of those alleged to have targeted the facility, as well as any connection to the subsequent violence reported in Kogi State, remain claims requiring independent confirmation.

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