The founder of Word Assembly Ministries, Ilorin, Rev. Isaac Omolehin, has said a threat of a bandit attack forced him, his family and more than 100 residents to flee his church camp in Idofian, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Omolehin disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday by his spokesperson, Grace Edema, saying the evacuation followed a security warning received in the early hours of May 31.
According to the cleric, police officers arrived at the camp around midnight and directed everyone to leave after receiving information about a planned attack.
He said the camp has remained deserted since the evacuation, leaving residents displaced and preventing several facilities from operating.
Omolehin said the bandits eventually arrived at the camp but found no one there. He added that he has since been moving between different locations with his wife and children because of concerns for their safety.
The cleric said the facility provided accommodation and services for orphaned children and also housed a primary and secondary school, hospital, old people’s home and a rehabilitation centre for women rescued from the streets and their children.
He said the security situation had forced the schools and hospital to shut down, while residents, patients and staff were forced to leave.
Omolehin stated that more than 100 people connected to the camp are currently staying in different locations because authorities have yet to confirm that the area is safe for them to return.
He said requests were made to the police to clarify whether the camp was safe, particularly because schools had resumed and many children under his care needed to return to their studies.
The cleric added that reports were also submitted to the Department of State Services and the Kwara State Ministry of Social Welfare, but he claimed that no official response had been received.
He further alleged that his community in Kogi State was attacked a few days after the incident in Kwara, resulting in deaths.
According to him, the camp’s buildings were not destroyed during the security incident, but some criminals later broke into the abandoned facility and stole property.
Omolehin appealed to the Federal and Kwara State governments to strengthen security around the camp so that he, his family and the displaced residents can safely return.
He noted that some of the orphaned children under his care were referred to the facility by government authorities and urged the government to consider their welfare.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Kwara State Police Command were reportedly unsuccessful, as its spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, did not respond to calls and messages as of the time of filing the report.
