The unending attacks in Kwara

FOR some reason, the terrorists behind the abattoir of bloodshed in the country are able to kill any time they so wish. For some time now, they have made Kwara State, particularly the Yoruba-speaking areas, a theatre of bloodshed, apparently with genocidal intent. In the latest attack in the state, as confirmed by the state police command on Tuesday, the terrorists killed at least two people and injured one during attacks in Eruku, a boundary town in the Ekiti Local Government Area. A parish of the Christ Apostolic Church was one of the places they attacked. Said the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi: “The Kwara State Police Command confirms an attempted bandit attack in Eruku, which occurred at about 18:00 hours of today, 18th November, 2025. The DPO Eruku and his team of police operatives, in collaboration with vigilantes, swiftly responded to the sound of gunshots emanating from the outskirts of the town, prompting the hoodlums to flee into the bush. Police confirmed that a male victim, Mr. Aderemi, was fatally shot inside the church, while another, Mr. Tunde Asaba Ajayi, was found dead in the bush. A vigilante, Segun Alaja, sustained gunshot wounds and was rushed to ECWA Hospital, Eruku, for treatment. CP Adekimi Ojo commended the swift response of the police and vigilantes. He also assures the public that security agencies will not relent until these hoodlums are totally decimated.”

Predictably, many Nigerians reacted angrily to the attack, lamenting that nowhere is safe anymore in this country. The incident, captured in a livestream, reportedly took place during a programme ahead of the church’s prayer vigil. According to witnesses, the attackers entered the church while the service was ongoing and opened fire immediately. Said one of them:  “The gunmen came into the church while people were gathered. They started shooting and three people died immediately. They later rounded up some worshippers, including the pastor, and marched them into the bush.” And reacting to the incident, the Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, urged the Federal Government to send urgent security deployment to Ekiti Local Government Area, especially the Eruku axis, to curb the recent wave of attacks. He said: “We condemn the unconscionable attack. We sympathise with the people of Eruku and environs, especially the families and the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), directly impacted by the attack on Tuesday.”

 Following that appeal, a State House Press Release signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy and released on Wednesday indicated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had granted the request. The president postponed his scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa and Luanda, Angola, as he awaited further security briefings on the kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on worshippers in Eruku. According to the statement, in response to the request by the Kwara governor, President Tinubu had ordered the deployment of more security men to Eruku and the entire Ekiti area of the state, and directed the police to go after the “bandits” who attacked worshippers.  The statement added: “President Tinubu reiterates his directive to the security agencies to do everything possible to rescue the 24 schoolgirls abducted by the bandits and bring the girls back home, safe.”

Time and again, we have lamented the terrorist attacks in Kwara State, but the trail of bloodshed has only grown larger and more harrowing. In April, the terrorists killed six people, including a vigilante, in Ilesha Baruba area of the state.  In June, they attacked Duruma village in Baruten area of the state, killing three villagers. This was followed, in August, by their vicious onslaught on Oke-Ode in Ifelodun Local Government Area, a gory event in which they killed 15 vigilantes and kidnapped many residents, displacing scores of people. In September, they attacked Ifelodun area of the state, leaving 12 forest guards and a local traditional ruler dead. In yet another event in October, the terrorists shut down Patigi General Hospital after abducting two medical personnel, forcing residents to seek medical attention elsewhere. This month, they abducted four people in Koro, a community located in Ekiti council. As we noted last month, the attacks had resulted in 70 deaths, 52 injuries, and 40 kidnappings in the last six months, with 142 persons kidnapped and 25 communities deserted in just a year.

Apart from the Senate, prominent individuals and organisations, including former Senate President Bukola Saraki, the foremost sociocultural group, Afenifere; the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, and the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, among others, have called for an end to the orgy of violence in the state. It is time the government took decisive action and curbed the menace. Security of life is the raison d’etre of the State and its legitimacy is eroded when the government permits outlaws to rob, kill and maim innocent citizens with impunity. In particular, we note the undeniable ethnic undercurrents of the onslaughts in Kwara State where members of the Yoruba ethnic group are apparently being targeted for extermination. It would be a tragedy if the government allows Fulani terrorists to keep riding roughshod over the rest of the country, acting like brute butchers.

As we have said time and again, the centralisation of Nigeria’s security architecture cannot guarantee the security of life and property. There must be state policing. The government must shelve its accustomed lethargy on this issue and act before it is too late.