Kwara South Communities Demand Curfew, Military Base as Bandit Attacks Escalate

Communities in Kwara South Senatorial District have raised alarm over a surge in violent bandit attacks, urging the state and federal governments to take urgent and decisive action to prevent further loss of lives, mass displacement, and looming food insecurity.

At a press conference held at Igbomina House in Ganmo, the coalition of youth groups from Kwara South, led by spokesperson Engr. Ajibola Olugbenga, called on Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to impose a 12-hour curfew (6:00 pm–6:00 am) in the worst-hit areas and to establish a permanent military base in the region.

According to Olugbenga, recent attacks in Oreke, Babanla, Ganmu-Alheri, Bankole, Shagbe, and Ologomo communities in Ifelodun Local Government Area have made daily life unbearable and disrupted farming activities vital to the state’s food supply.

“Farmers can no longer access their farmlands; traders and travelers live in fear; and families are fleeing their ancestral homes that had existed for centuries,” he said.
“With farmers displaced, a major food crisis looms, threatening not only Kwara State, but also urban centers across Nigeria.”

He described the situation as “nothing short of terrorism” and appealed directly to President Bola Tinubu, National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and Governor AbdulRazaq to respond swiftly.

The group’s demands include:

• A permanent military base in the affected axis, not just temporary patrols
• Full-scale emergency security operations, including aerial surveillance and combing of forests
• Modern weapons and logistics for local vigilantes and community hunters
• Declaration of a nightly curfew (6:00 pm–6:00 am) in the most affected communities
• Creation of a joint security task force involving federal, state, and local representatives, including youth
• Swift federal intervention programs for the rehabilitation of displaced persons and the rebuilding of destroyed communities

“The Kwara State government, under Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and President Bola Tinubu must understand that what we face in Kwara South is nothing short of terrorism,” Olugbenga declared.

The youth coalition warned that without urgent intervention, the humanitarian and economic toll of the ongoing violence would extend far beyond Kwara South.