Kwara Under Siege! Group Demands Urgent Government Action To Save Lives

A civic group known as Kwara Alternative has urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on security in Kwara State, citing a growing wave of violence that has left several communities in fear and devastation.

In a statement issued Saturday, the group voiced alarm over what it described as a worsening security crisis, especially in Ifelodun Local Government Area and across Kwara North, where heavily armed bandits continue to unleash terror on innocent residents.

“These attacks have reached a dangerous peak,” the statement read. “From kidnappings and killings to the displacement of entire communities, the situation has spiraled out of control. Local vigilante groups—the last line of defence—have been overwhelmed and rendered powerless.”

The group highlighted specific hotspots under siege:

• In Ifelodun, communities like Oke-Ode, Shagbe, Oreke, and Babanla have suffered repeated assaults. In Oke-Ode, a reprisal attack in the Gaa Fulani settlement left three dead, including one burnt alive, with several homes destroyed. Earlier, armed men abducted over a dozen market women and a toddler along the Ajase-Ipo/Oke-Ode road.

• Shagbe residents live in fear, with frequent incidents of abduction, extortion, and armed robbery.

• In Oreke-Oke, bandits stormed a mining site in June, killing two mobile police officers, kidnapping two others, and escaping with service weapons after demanding a ₦1 billion ransom.

• On June 30 in Babanla, gunmen abducted two teenage girls and attempted to kidnap the monarch’s wife, leaving the town in a state of panic.

In Kwara North, the violence is just as severe:

• In Edu Local Government, bandits ambushed local vigilantes in Lata Nna, Kokodoko, and Gada, killing many and setting vehicles ablaze.

• On the same day in Gada Woro, more were injured in a broad daylight raid.

• In Patigi LGA, bandits murdered Alhaji Abdullahi Kpotun and his son in Lile village, and Timothy Paul was killed in Mari. The attackers later demanded a ₦200 million ransom from the victims’ families.

“The local economy is collapsing,” the group warned. “Markets are empty, farms abandoned, and schools shut down. What used to be a story of rural resilience is now looking more like rural extinction.”

The group emphasized that the attackers operate with military precision, using sophisticated weapons and unchallenged tactics. In nearly every case, vigilantes have been overrun, vehicles torched, weapons seized, and defenders either killed or seriously injured.

“It’s time to confront the truth: Kwara State is no longer safe. What we’re witnessing is a full-blown, coordinated security breakdown. Yet, the response from those in power, especially at the state level, has been muted and ineffective.”

Kwara Alternative called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene by declaring a state of emergency on security in Kwara. It called for the immediate deployment of a joint task force of the Nigerian Army, Police, Civil Defence, and DSS to reclaim the forests, eliminate bandits, and restore peace.

Other key recommendations included:

• A full federal takeover of security operations in Edu, Patigi, Ifelodun, and other high-risk LGAs.

• Equipping local vigilantes and hunters with modern weapons and providing them with tactical support.

• Setting up rapid response bases in Oke-Ode, Lata Nna, and Gbugbu, bolstered by drone surveillance and intelligence gathering.

• Launching immediate rescue operations for abducted individuals.

• Conducting an urgent investigation into how such criminal elements infiltrated the state without detection and holding responsible security officials accountable.

“To the people of Kwara,” the group added, “your pain is real, your fear is valid, and your endurance is admirable. But we must not remain silent. We must demand accountability and push for real action. Our communities, our lives, and our dignity deserve protection.”