Three people were killed and two others injured when suspected hoodlums launched a reprisal attack on a Fulani settlement near a mining camp in Kwara State, security sources reported on Thursday.

The violent incident occurred on Tuesday at Gaa Fulani near Bankole, Oke-Ode in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, according to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in the Lake Chad region.

Makama, who shared details of the attack on his X (formerly Twitter) account, stated that the violence was believed to be in retaliation for the earlier killing of Shabba Ndabata, a Nupe man, at the Ndabata mining site on the same day.

Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants stormed the Fulani camp, firing indiscriminately and setting parts of the settlement on fire. In the chaos that followed, one Gambo Abubakar was burned alive, while another victim identified as Yabo was shot dead.

Two other residents, Abubakar Mohammad and Abubakar Tambaya, sustained gunshot wounds during the attack and were subsequently taken to Oke-Ode Maternity Hospital for medical treatment.

"In response to the incident, a stakeholders' peace meeting was held in the community involving Fulani and Nupe leaders to forestall further violence," Makama reported.

The security analyst added that efforts are currently underway to identify and apprehend those responsible for the attack. Meanwhile, security operatives have intensified surveillance in the area to prevent any further breakdown of law and order.

This incident highlights ongoing tensions in some parts of Kwara State, particularly in areas where different ethnic communities live in close proximity to mining sites, which have occasionally been flashpoints for conflict.

Local authorities have called for calm as investigations continue into both the initial killing and the subsequent reprisal attack.