Group Raises the Alarm over Influx of Terrorists, Kidnappers from Niger to Kwara

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

A pressure group in Kwara state, “Kwara for Kwara Movement” yesterday  raised the alarm over the  massive  influx of terrorists and kidnappers to the state from the neighbouring Niger State.

Already, the group said that the  criminals have invaded the northern forests of the state so as to cause mayhem on the residents of the areas.

Speaking at a news conference in Ilorin, the convener of the group, Mr. Abdulrasheed Akogun, stated that the alarm became imperative in view of the incessant attacks on the residents of the state in the recent times that had led to the untimely death of innocent residents of the state.

He said: “Kwara shares boundary with Niger state, which is currently witnessing surge of banditry. It is a no brainer that Kwara as a neighboring State to Niger is vulnerable to insecurity externalities therefrom.

 “The manifestation of these is the attack recorded on some Kwara North communities by people suspected to be bandits. Recently, news broke about relocation of a terrorist leader, Bello Turji, believed to be in control of about 150 terrorist groups in the North, from Zamfara to a Kwara forest.

“Consequently, residents of Obbo-Ayegunle in Ekiti Local Government had raised the  alarm that five suspected bandits had arrived in the area and were threatening to unleash mayhem in the forms of kidnapping and killing unless the inhabitants provided them with the sum of N2 million.

“It was also gathered from the state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) that some bandits invaded a rural community called Anguwa Danlami in Edu Local Government Area.

“The Seriki of Anguwa Danlami. In his conversation was also said to have confirmed that they received a call that ‘we are bandits and the sum N5,000,000 must be paid to us or we will attack your community and set the whole community ablaze.

“These are series of red flags of insecurity, which we feel the Kwara state government, who should escalate these concerns to the federal government and also invest heavily in State security architectures is not doing anything close to enough to secure Kwaran  lives”.

Akogun added: “As conscious and conscientious Kwarans, with great sense of empathy, we are compelled to raise alarm over the rising spate of insecurity in Kwara state and the seeming conspiracy of silence by the State Government. 

“It is no longer news, that since the inception of the AbdulRazaq’s administration in 2019, there has been incessant cases of cult clashes within different areas of the State capital, which till date is not only left unchecked but not even talked about by the present day government.

“This is more worrisome considering the adverse effect of unchecked cultism menace on our quality of education and social development as a whole.

In August 2021, a Kwara state Polytechnic student was beheaded and dumped at Post-Office area of Ilorin Metropolis. In October 2021, a 10-year-old girl was sent to her grave prematurely by rampaging hoodlums.

“The girl was shot with her brother at Oja Oba market, Ilorin. In February 2022, the barely 13years old Kwara State University witnessed, for the first time, a bloody cult clash that resulted in loss of lives. Also in February 2022, one of such usual street brawls by cultists occurred at Surulere area, Ilorin,” he said.

He therefore, urged the federal government to come to the aid of the state by providing more security apparatus that would quench any further attacks on the innocent residents of the state.