• Image of Babanla community

MORE than 3,000 residents of Babanla and neighbouring communities in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State fled their homes following bandits’ attacks at the weekend.

The affected communities include Budo Idowu, Ganmu, Eka, Upper Eka, Lower Eka, Oloruntele, Baba Sango, Ayetoro, Ibudo Olosun, Apata Olosun, Kudagbari, among others

The attacks left five persons, and a police officer, dead.

The attackers, believed to be the members of the Mahmuda terrorists’ group, were also said to have attacked the Divisional Police Headquarters at Babanla and carted away weapons.

The Mahmuda group, a faction of the Boko Haram assailants, had been hibernating in the forested areas of Kwara State.

The bandits were also said to have invaded the main market in the community, fired shots, looted several shops and went away with foodstuffs and other items.

The Trump’s administration through the White House and the State Department, strongly condemned the killings of Christians in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa by Islamic militants.

In a statement, the U.S. government call the violence horrific and pledging to work with international partners to address the crisis.

The condemnation follows a series of deadly incidents in recent weeks, including the massacre of 27 Christians in the Nigerian village of Bindi Ta-hoss by Islamist Fulani militants.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror, with many victims, many of them women and children, burned alive while seeking refuge in a church.

” I lost my wife and second daughter in the attack,” survivor Solomon Sunday told reporters. “They were burned alive.”

In a separate incident on July 27, 49 Christians were butchered with machetes during prayers in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Authorities blame Islamist militants from the Allied Democratic Forces, a group affiliated with ISIS.

Across the region, Islamist extremists, including Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa, are accused of targeting Christians for killing, displacement, and land seizure.

“The Trump administration condemns in the strongest terms this horrific violence against Christians,” the White House said, emphasising that religious freedom is both a moral duty and a U.S. foreign policy priority

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, has announced the dissolution of the State Executive Council with immediate effect.

This was disclosed in a press statement signed by Prof. Habibat Secretary to the State Government.

Governor Oyebanji thanks the affected members of the State Executive Council and wishes them success in their future endeavours.

However, the dissolution does not affect the State Attorney General and the Commissioner for Justice.

However, the dissolution does not affect the State Attorney General and the Commissioner for Justice.

Also not affected by the dissolution are the Commissioner for Health and Human Services; Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security; Commissioner for Education; Commissioner for Works; Commissioner for Trade, Investment, Industry and Cooperatives; Special Adviser, Special Education and Social Inclusion; and Special Adviser Lands, Survey and e-GIS.

Also, all Directors General who are members of the State Executive Council are to retain their positions.

These are the Director General Office of Transformation and Service Delivery (OTSD), Director General SDGs and Project Monitoring, and Director General Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).