Residents of Kwara South, under the umbrella of the Kwara South Development Forum, yesterday, Friday staged a street protest, expressing concern over what they described as a deteriorating security crisis affecting indigenous Yoruba communities in the region overall region.
Protesters alleged that armed groups, which they repeatedly described as terrorists, are gradually gaining control of several communities, carrying out sustained attacks marked by killings, kidnappings and displacement of entire populations respectively there.
Authorities said repeated assaults are steadily weakening local security structures, especially vigilante groups that once acted as first line of defence, and urged President Bola Tinubu and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to intervene urgently without delay right now.
“Our mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers have been killed and kidnapped, while our schools have been shut down in Kwara South.”
“We are demonstrating today to express our concerns to President Tinubu and Governor AbdulRazaq to empower local vigilantes and other security agencies to end the kidnapping and killings in Kwara South.”
“Our community has become deserted. Our family members have been kidnapped, and we had to raise ransom to secure their release. Many of us have been chased out of our homes.”
“They were lucky to come back alive. Many others are not that fortunate,” he said.
Escalating displacement and community breakdown
Findings from the protest indicate that insecurity has escalated to alarming levels across several parts of Kwara South, particularly in Ifelodun, Ekiti, Oke-Ero and Irepodun local government areas, where residents report near-daily incidents of abductions, violent attacks and displacement, with many communities partially or completely deserted.
Residents also alleged that in recent weeks, coordinated attacks have taken place in multiple settlements, leading to closure of schools, abandonment of farmlands and collapse of economic activities, as fear spreads across the region and many families relocate to safer towns and neighbouring states.
“Our brave vigilante commanders have been killed, and our people have become vulnerable. Communities in Kwara South have been deserted as a result.
“We are calling on President Bola Tinubu and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to take decisive and coordinated action over the incessant insecurity in Kwara South.”
Another resident, Ishola Kwara, called on traditional rulers and the state government to act swiftly, noting that the response so far has not matched the scale of the crisis.
In some areas, locals claimed that traditional rulers no longer reside within their domains due to security concerns, while illegal mining activities and the presence of armed groups in forested areas have further worsened the crisis, creating safe havens for criminal operations now.
The protesters warned that unless urgent and sustained security measures are implemented—including increased deployment of security personnel, intelligence-driven operations, and restructuring and empowerment of local vigilante networks—Kwara South could face a deeper humanitarian crisis, with more communities falling under control of armed groups going forward.
