Exclusive: Is Lata Nna Becoming Kwara's Next Ghost Town? Repeated Bandit Attacks and Threats Empty Nearly 95% of Patigi Community

By Usman HARUNA ✔

Lata Nna, one of the largest rural communities in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, is gradually becoming a ghost town as persistent bandit attacks, repeated threats and mass displacement force residents to abandon their ancestral homes.

A nine minute video obtained exclusively by NupekoTV on Monday, July 13, 2026, paints a disturbing picture of a once vibrant community now left almost deserted.

The footage, recorded by a resident who remains in the community, shows empty compounds, locked shops, abandoned schools, a deserted market square and a primary healthcare centre without workers or patients. Streets that should ordinarily be busy on a Monday morning are eerily quiet.

According to the resident, about 95 percent of the population has fled.

"This is the village head's compound... everybody has left. Our mothers, brothers and sisters have all gone. About 95 percent of the people have fled Lata Nna. Only a handful of us remain," he said while recording the video.

He walked through several parts of the community, showing abandoned residential houses, closed chemist shops, the market square, an Islamiyya Primary School, the Local Government Primary School and the Primary Healthcare Centre, all without a single sign of normal activity.

Even though schools are currently writing examinations, classrooms were empty because families had fled following fresh security threats.

Community trapped by fear

Residents say the latest displacement did not happen overnight.

For months, communities across the Patigi axis have endured repeated attacks, kidnappings, killings and ransom demands.

According to community sources, Lata Nna has become one of the areas where kidnappers frequently establish contact with families of abducted victims to negotiate and collect ransom payments because of its strategic location near forests and boundaries with Edu and Ifelodun Local Government Areas of Kwara State and neighbouring Kogi State.

Locals also told NupekoTV that many farmers have abandoned their farmlands after repeated attacks. Those who attempt to cultivate nearby farms often risk being kidnapped or attacked.

Unable to access their main farmlands, some surviving residents now depend only on small backyard farms for food.

"We warned authorities"

Residents say what is happening today did not come without warning.

According to community members, repeated reports and distress calls had been made to government officials, security agencies and members of the media over persistent threats from armed groups.

NupekoTV understands that concerned residents repeatedly engaged government officials, security agencies and relevant authorities, warning that unless urgent action was taken, the community could face another devastating attack. Despite those warnings, residents say little changed on the ground.

Several appeals were reportedly made for stronger security presence before many of the attacks occurred.

Despite those warnings, residents say the attacks continued, forcing thousands to flee for safety.

Years of neglect

Beyond insecurity, residents lament years of poor infrastructure.

The community lacks good roads and suffers from poor telecommunications network, making it difficult to communicate during emergencies.

Residents also expressed disappointment over what they describe as poor government presence.

According to them, despite years in public office, the chairman of Patigi Local Government has never visited the community.

The absence of basic infrastructure, they say, has further worsened the humanitarian situation created by insecurity.

Pattern of recurring attacks

Residents say the latest mass displacement is part of a security crisis that has persisted since the deadly wave of attacks that rocked Lata Nna and surrounding communities last year.

On July 3, 2025, suspected bandits reportedly invaded the community, triggering fierce resistance from local vigilantes and residents. The confrontation turned deadly, with dozens of people feared killed.

Local sources who spoke to NupekoTV at the time said more than 70 people were killed during the attack, although no official casualty figure was released.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, also confirmed in comments published by NupekoTV that more than 50 people lost their lives in the attack, making it one of the deadliest incidents recorded in the area.

Residents told NupekoTV that the community has never fully recovered from that tragedy.

According to them, Lata Nna has remained under constant pressure from armed groups, with repeated attacks, kidnappings, killings and threats forcing residents to live in fear and gradually abandon their homes.

Many residents say the latest exodus is not the result of a single incident but the culmination of months of sustained insecurity that has made normal life almost impossible.

Local government reacts

NupekoTV contacted the Chairman of Patigi Local Government for his response to the concerns raised by residents.

The chairman said efforts are ongoing to improve security in the affected communities, adding that the council is working with relevant security agencies and other stakeholders to address the situation.

He, however, declined to disclose details of the ongoing security measures, explaining that certain operational issues cannot be discussed publicly for security reasons.

While welcoming the assurance, residents said they hope the ongoing efforts will translate into improved security that will enable displaced families to return to their homes.

A community disappearing

Perhaps the most painful scenes in the exclusive footage are not the empty buildings but the silence.

The market is deserted.

Schools have no pupils.

Healthcare workers are absent.

Entire family compounds have been abandoned.

Yet, a few determined residents still remain, hoping they will not be forced to become the last people to leave their ancestral community.

For many residents, returning home remains impossible until lasting security is restored.

Residents are calling on the Federal Government, the Kwara State Government, security agencies and humanitarian organisations to urgently intervene before the community is completely deserted.