Youths from Kwara North have demanded an immediate end to the incessant killings and bandit attacks ravaging communities in Edu, Patigi, and Kaiama Local Government Areas of Kwara State.
PUNCH Online reports that the protesters, under the aegis of the Coalition of Kwara North Youths, stormed the Government House in Ilorin on Wednesday, carrying placards with bold inscriptions and accusing the state government of neglecting the worsening security crisis in the region.
Chanting solidarity songs as they advanced toward the Government House, the demonstrators said communities from Gbugbu to Woro had become flashpoints of violence, with families allegedly going to bed daily in fear of attacks by armed bandits.
Addressing journalists at the gate of the Government House, the coordinator of the group, Usman Haruna, said the protest was peaceful and driven by anguish over repeated attacks in the region.
“We stand here today as peaceful, law-abiding citizens of Kwara North, gathered at the gates of the Government House in Ilorin, not in anger, but in anguish; not in violence, but in conscience. Our communities are bleeding, and silence in the face of repeated tragedy would amount to complicity”, he said.
Haruna alleged that recent attacks on Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area claimed between 162 and 200 lives within two days.
He described the casualties as farmers, students, parents, and breadwinners whose deaths had left deep scars.
“These were not mere numbers; they were men, women, and children whose absence has created permanent voids in their families and communities,” he said.
He added that communities across Edu and Patigi had endured similar attacks, with reports of farmers ambushed on their lands, travellers kidnapped along rural roads, and several residents displaced from their homes.
“In Gbugbu, in parts of the Lafiagi axis, in riverine settlements of Patigi, and in villages scattered across Edu, families have been attacked in their homes, and many have been buried,” he stated.
The coordinator said the security situation had disrupted farming, trading, and schooling across the affected areas.
“Farms now lie uncultivated, markets are quieter, and schools have experienced disruptions as parents fear for their children’s safety. Entire communities now anticipate the next attack rather than the next harvest”, Haruna said.
The group also criticised the state government’s decision to accommodate some internally displaced persons at the Yikpata National Youth Service Corps orientation camp, which had earlier been relocated to Ilorin over security concerns.
“If the Yikpata orientation camp is now considered safe enough to host displaced persons, then it is safe enough for corps members. We demand the immediate return of orientation activities to Yikpata to end the disruption affecting corps members and students”, he said.
Haruna called for the reversal of the camp’s conversion to an IDP facility, insisting that alternative and properly secured locations should be designated for displaced persons.
“We demand decisive, visible, and sustained action to end the recurring killings, kidnappings, and bandit attacks across Kwara North,” he added.
The coalition further urged the government to roll out a comprehensive support plan for victims of banditry, including compensation, medical care, trauma counselling, and reconstruction of destroyed homes.
“We also demand a clear, time-bound security and development roadmap that will restore confidence in governance and permanently end the cycle of violence in our region,” Haruna said.
PUNCH Online reports that several communities in Edu, Patigi, and Kaiama Local Government Areas have come under repeated attacks in recent months, with residents recounting incidents of killings, abductions, and displacement, particularly in Gbugbu, Lafiagi, Woro, and adjoining settlements across Kwara North.
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