Banditry: Kwara community seeks Gov Abdulrazaq’s assistance

Residents of Babanla town in the Ifelodun local government area of Kwara state, who recently experienced a banditry attack, have appealed to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for urgent assistance to the victims of the attack.

It is recalled that bandits numbering hundreds attacked the agrarian community last Friday, killing some people, mainly farmers, while many lost valuable properties.

In a statement by the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Aliyu Adegboyega Alabi Yusuf Arojojoye II, the monarch said that the burden of fending for those farm settlers that were sacked from their farms was becoming too much for the community alone to bear.

“We, therefore, require assistance of the government in this regard too”, the traditional ruler said.

The monarch also appealed to all indigenes of the town to return home, saying that the government has done everything to ensure that there is maximum protection of lives and properties.

He commended the federal, state and Ifelodun local governments for their efforts to ensure peace and security in the community, while he assured governments of the people’s unalloyed support at all times.

“On behalf of the entire people of Babanla, I wish to express my profound appreciation to His Excellency Abdulrahman AbdulRazak CON, the Executive Governor of Kwara State, and Chairman Nigeria Governors Forum, the National Security Adviser and heads of all security agencies in Kwara state for the timely response to the aftermath of the bandits attack on Babanla on August 8, 2025.

“We especially thank both federal and state governments for all the measures being put in place to reinforce the safety and security in this community and its environs.

“This is already helping to mitigate the shock, anxiety, worries, and fears that followed the sad event. Consequently, normalcy is gradually returning to Babanla.

“I also wish to thank and commend our local vigilante for the bravery and for coming out courageously to combat the bandits.

“Even with the limited firepower, you demonstrated the villainy that this community has always been noted for. Posterity will always celebrate your role in the protection of our community.

“Let me equally appreciate my fellow traditional rulers and all lovers of this community for the sympathy messages. And to the entire people of Babanla, I say a very big thank you for still remaining calm in the face of the attack.

“I thank you for your resilience, support and patriotism throughout this trying period. Babanla, as the home of the valiants, has in history always given refuge to people who were being persecuted.

“We will therefore never allow bandits to turn our community into something else,” he said.

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