By MARGARETH YINKA Ayinmiro
The Land of Bunu!!!
The Land of Ókùn!!!
Some Communities of Kogi State in Nigeria.
It is deeply saddening that the peace and safety once known in these lands have vanished. Though I am not old enough to tell many of those stories, the stark contrast between my childhood and the present day is alarming. I remember a time, not too long ago, when our communities thrived in harmony. We had the freedom to move about, day or night, without fear. Children could walk to the farm, and families worked their lands with joy and without worry.
There was a time we went to church any day, at any time, without fear, holding firmly to one truth that we were going to meet our Maker.
But today, that freedom has been stolen from us. The shadows of kidnappers, bandits, and violent herdsmen loom large over our communities. Our lands, once bountiful and serene, have been overtaken by terror. We are no longer safe not in our homes, not on our farms, or our worship centers, today, even that sacred freedom has been ripped away from us. We now worship with trembling hearts, unsure if we will return home alive, not even in our dreams are we safe any longer.
It is disheartening that the same land that once overflowed with harvest now lies barren, abandoned out of fear. Farmers dare not visit their fields. Children can no longer roam freely. Women are no longer safe, with reports of assault and unspeakable acts occurring in the very places that once symbolized our strength and self-sufficiency.
We are grieving.
We are angry.
We are broken.
Also, we cannot ignore the painful truth that some of our own sons and daughters, who now sit in places of power and influence, have seemingly forgotten the people they were meant to represent. While we acknowledge that not all have turned a blind eye, it is regrettable that many prioritize personal gain over public service. Some appear more interested in enriching themselves, dining comfortably while their communities suffer.
Even more disturbing is the betrayal from within a few among us who have turned into the modern-day brothers of Joseph from the Holy Book, selling out their own people. These individuals provide information to kidnappers, helping them target innocent members of our community for ransom and destruction. This level of wickedness is unimaginable and disgraceful.
This is not just a failure of leadership, but a moral collapse that endangers the very soul of Ókùn land.
Now, our nights are sleepless. Families flee their homes and sleep in bushes to escape raids. Our land is crying, and we can no longer keep silent.
We are speaking up again, not with violence, but with our voices. We are calling on the Government, the authorities, and every person of conscience to hear our cry. Enough is enough.
Let Bunu be safe again.
Let Ókùn land be free from terror.
Let our farms flourish. Let our children walk without fear.
Let us have freedom of worship.
Let our women be protected.
Let our elders live in peace.
Let our people come home.
Let our home be safe again.
Let our land be restored.
We call on every true son and daughter of Kiri Kingdom, of Bunu Land, and of Ókùn Land wherever you are and however you can to raise your voice. Stand up for your people.
The issue of kidnapping in our land has become more frightening than even the thought of the coming of Jesus Christ. People are now more conscious of the threat of kidnappers than the kingdom of heaven. Yet, the more careful people try to be, the more vulnerable they become. Everyone lives in constant fear of losing their loved ones. That is why millions of naira are being paid every single day as ransom, with the amount of money they have not yet fed on.
This is becoming too much for us to carry in our everyday lives. We are exhausted, broken by fear, and worn down by constant loss. Losing our loved ones tears the heart apart and makes it bleed without healing. How long are we expected to live like this, as though pain, death, and abduction have become a ceremony we must observe again and again? (Kílòdé?) We cannot bear this any longer.
In the early hours of Sunday, around 10:00 a.m. on 14th December 2025, armed bandits invaded the village of Aiyetoro-Kiri. They split themselves into two groups. One group stormed a place of worship known as ECWA and brutally killed a young, promising youth. At the same time, both groups those roaming the community and those who attacked the worship center abducted villagers, leaving families in tears and confusion.
Many others were left wounded, and the entire village was thrown into deep chaos and terror. What remains is unbearable pain, shock, and trauma an awful wound the community may not recover from for a very long time.
Just this November 2025, Then came their visit to Kiri High School in Aiyetoro-Kiri.
Their intention was to abduct all the students. It was only Divine intervention, supported by security forces at the checkpoint and the bravery of our local vigilante, that saved the teachers and students. Had it not been so, the story would have been a disastrous one. Even then, they left in anger, moved to the village, raided shops, and still killed a young man before escaping.
Let’s not forget that; this same Aiyetoro-Kiri has been invaded early this year. Millions were collected from them, yet it took months before their loved ones were released.
The attack that happened in Ofere, in Kiri Kingdom, in early September was like watching a home video except it was painfully real. A large number of them invaded the village and threw it into chaos. They killed an indigene, abducted several people including a passer-by from another village beat an elderly woman close to 80 years old, and even stole the little recharge cards she was selling. Many others were injured.
A day that should have been a peaceful morning turned tragic when they stormed the village of Aiyegunle-Igunh and murdered three innocent souls, in addition to those they abducted. They still walked away freely after committing these atrocities.
In the early hours of Tuesday, 22nd July 2025, the peaceful village of Olle Bunu in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area was struck by horror and heartbreak. Armed men, believed to be kidnappers, invaded the village and began shooting sporadically, throwing the entire community into chaos. Mothers ran for cover, unable to gather their children. People scattered in all directions, rushing blindly into the bushes, unsure of where they were going driven only by fear and the instinct to survive. The invaders operated with terrifying ease, showing no fear of law or consequence.
Human beings in this region(Bunu and Ókùn Land in general) are now treated like chickens slaughtered without a second thought by people who seem to have the hearts of beasts, showing regard for no soul.
Do you know that all of this is what my imagination feared since the moment these people were given a free license to enter the land of Kogi however they pleased, without any legal restraint, some years back? At that time, they were arriving in large numbers, like goods being loaded and offloaded across open lands, especially throughout Bunu Land. My fear back then was: What happens the day these people begin to mobilize against us? Can we truly handle them?
Many raised the alarm, but some dismissed it as political talk.
But now, whether you are a politician or a technocrat like me, no one is exempt. What we are facing today goes beyond political parties. It is a threat to our entire community and shared existence. Let us stop viewing things as crisis through the lens of party lines. Let us see it as a family matter, a collective threat. No one is left out, and now more than ever, we must unite to drive these monsters out of our land.
And stop them in our communities from seeing or as though they already had a market they could patronize whenever they pleased.
So many of these incidents have already happened that we cannot even keep proper records anymore. Should we now begin to speak of the countless cases that have struck Yagba land? Or the horrors on the Oshokosoko–Obajana highway?
This is the reality we are living with.
A Note of Gratitude in the Midst of Pain.
We pause to say a heartfelt thank you to all who have stood with us through these dark times. To those who have been speaking up, sending support, providing protection, encouraging us in prayers, and not turning a blind eye, we deeply appreciate you. Your compassion has given us strength. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed, and we pray that God rewards each of you in abundance. Amen.
A Call for Urgent Intervention
Please note that this message today is a call for urgent intervention. It is a cry from a wounded people who can no longer live in fear, who can no longer stay silent. Our farmlands have been taken. Now even our homes are under siege. Are we expected to live like prisoners in our own land?
We are calling on the government Federal, State, and Local. We are appealing to our Traditional Rulers, Security Agencies, and Sons and Daughters of Òkùn land both home and abroad. Please do not ignore our cry.
We are tired.
We are heartbroken.
We are scared.
What We Want Is Peace
And Here Is What Peace Means to Us
- The freedom to sleep peacefully in our homes without fear of attack.
- The liberty to farm on our ancestral lands without being chased or killed.
- The ability for our children to go to school without threat or trauma.
- The safety to gather in community spaces without anxiety or panic.
- The return of normalcy to our markets, roads, churches, and daily lives.
- The restoration of law and order, so criminals are no longer bold on our soil.
- The confidence that our cries will be heard, and actions will be taken.
- The assurance that those responsible will be brought to justice.
- The revival of our land, so that Bunu and all of Ókùn land can bloom again. A Message to Our Fathers, Mothers, Sons, and Daughters.
To our mighty Fathers and Great Mothers (Ábíyàmô Àbòjá gbórógbóró), to our Sons and Daughters whether in the city, abroad, or in positions of influence, this land is yours. Whether you call it your fatherland or motherland, please remember us. Use your voice, your access, your resources, and your influence to stand for us. Help bring healing and hope to our people.
This is not just a message. It is the cry of a broken heart. It is the plea of a mother watching her children run into the night, not knowing if they will return. It is voice speaking for the voiceless, weeping for the land we have always known as safe and sacred.
Please, help us. Let our land live again. Let our people live again.
We also pray that the Almighty Father, who is the Judge of All, will help you and back you as you plan to help us.
Thank you, Sir/Ma’am.
– MARGARETH Yinka Ayinmiro writes from Lokoja, Kogi State
