Still on the Kwara attacks

THE pervasive insecurity in Kwara State seems to have caught the attention of the world. Traditionally known and hailed as one of the country’s most peaceful states, Kwara is sadly now plagued by wanton bloodshed. In recent months, three local government areas of the state have been literally thrown into chaos, with tears, sorrow, wailing and gnashing of teeth everywhere. Kwara South is under siege. And in the state’s borders with Niger and parts of Benin Republic, hosting communities like Baruten and Kaiama, bandits have taken total control, perpetrating killings, kidnappings and raids on farmlands. Despondency is in the air as the people lament the inability of the state government to curtail the insecurity, and as the security agencies fail to stop the menace.

In recent weeks, the state has been under the chokehold of criminals. Suspected bandits have invaded communities, killing, maiming and looting . Only recently, the Oke-Ode community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state was thrown into palpable mourning when  bandits killed vigilantes and hunters numbering 15. The bandits also reportedly kidnapped an unspecified number of residents during the attack which left the community in mourning. A video of the incident showing bodies of the slain vigilantes went viral. Following the killings, residents alleged governmental indifference to their plight following the failure to act on prior intelligence. According to one of the residents, it was public knowledge that the attackers would strike. Another said: “We have been hearing that the bandits were around the community since Saturday night, and we sent out messages to security operatives to be prepared. To our surprise, this morning, the attackers started the attack from the duty post, targeting the vigilantes.” The residents identified those killed by the bandits as Oji, Saheed Metubi, Baale Ógba Ayo, and others. The corpses of the victims were taken to a police station in the area while other victims who sustained varying degrees of injuries were taken to the General Hospital in Share.

Naturally, the killings have generated outrage. For instance, during a recent state congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ilorin, the state capital, a former governor of the state and ex-Senate President, Bukola Saraki, berated the state government for failing to address the rising wave of insecurity across the state. He said: “Over 70 people have been killed, 52 sustained injuries and 40 people kidnapped in Kwara in the last six months. During the tenure of my predecessors, Governor Adamu Attah, Governor Shaaba Lafiagi and Governor Mohammed Lawal, as well as my own tenure, and even that of my immediate successor, AbdulFatai Ahmed, Kwara did not experience this ugly insecurity. Unfortunately, the present government has failed to toe the right path in protecting the lives and property of Kwarans. We will not keep quiet because the present government in Kwara State has failed to provide security for our people due to their incompetence.”

Also, recently, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, joined the chorus for the restoration of sanity in the state. Bothered by the slaughter of Yoruba natives by suspected Fulani herdsmen in the Oke Ode area of the state, the foremost monarch urged Nigerians to unite against the perpetrators of bloodshed. He aptly labeled the attackers as “blood guzzlers and enemies of state, nature and sound reasoning” and asked those in charge of the country’s security not to allow them to go unpunished. Oba Owoade expressed concern over the recurring violence by herders. On his part, the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, visited Babanla and other communities in Ifelodun Local Government Area. During the visit, he assured residents of the government’s commitment to strengthening public safety. Again,  reacting to the escalating wave of killings and kidnappings in Kwara South, particularly in Ifelodun Local Government Area, following a motion sponsored by the Deputy Leader of the Senate, Senator Oyelola Yisa Ashiru, Nigeria’s Red Chamber, the Senate, called for the setting up of a military base in Kwara State. It lamented that 142 persons had been kidnapped, 70 killed, and 25 communities deserted in one year.

As we noted in an earlier editorial, the attacks are indeed disturbing. While we canvass the need for state police, the point must be noted that even if there was one in place today, an incapable and ineffective government would still demonstrate laxity in the face of the daunting attacks.   We call on the Federal Government, which controls the repressive apparatus of the Nigerian State, to come to the aid of the people of Kwara State.

It’s beggars’ belief that the killers and perpetrators of the heinous acts are able to escape after raiding these communities in a country where a huge percentage of the national budget is devoted to curtailing insecurity. It is time to stop the wanton bloodshed and wipe away the tears on the faces of the beleaguered people of Kwara State.

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