Ekiti, Kwara Agree to Combat Cross-Border Bandits, Kidnappers 

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

Following security threat being experienced at border towns, the Kwara and Ekiti State Governments have agreed to combat cross-border bandits, kidnappers and killer herdsmen operating in the border communities of the two states.

They regretted the orgy of criminality and violence through incessant kidnapping and killing of innocent citizens being experienced at borders in recent time, saying efforts should be intensified to curtail the horrendous acts.  

The agreement was brokered during the security meeting held at Otun Ekiti by the Chairmen of Moba Local Government Area, Ero Local Council Development Area and Ekiti Local Government Area, Kwara State at the weekend.

Speaking at the meeting, the Chairman of Ero Local Council Development Area, Mr. Akin Alebiosu said the security alert raised over alleged infiltration of some forests in the South-west and North-central of the federal spurred the meeting.

Alebiosu said though the alarm was still in the realm of conjecture, but added that the four councils that shared borders between Ekiti and Kwara won’t treat such life-threatening panic with disdain.

The council boss stated that they have decided to work together through rallying of local hunters and Amotekun corps to patrol the borders to ward off bandits, who have been banking on porosity of the area to commit crimes. 

Alebiosu said: “This meeting was aimed at improving the security situation and how best to strengthen our security architecture in the current fight against kidnapping, killing and herders-farmers clashes.

“It had been observed that anyone kidnapped in Ekiti was being freed in far away Kwara and those kidnapped in Kwara were brought to Ekiti and this shows that the borders must be fortified.

“Part of our strategies is to rally our local hunters and Amotekun to be on patrol 24 hours and this they will do in collaboration with conventional security formations like Army, Police and NSCDC.”

Lending his voice to the deteriorating security situation in the area, the Chairman of Moba Local Government, Mr. Ibukun Adeoye, commended Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and his Kwara counterpart, Mr. AbdulRazaq AbdurRahman for being sensitive to the plights of the people at the borders.

Adeoye said the actions being taken by the two governors had helped in stemming the tide, adding that the situation could have be worse if not for the proactive steps being intensified by the two states.