Ilorin—Kwara State is in the throes of escalating insecurity as joint military operations intensify against bandits, leading to the killing of a notorious kidnap kingpin, Maidawa, and several of his foot soldiers.
Yet, despite the breakthrough, the crisis deepened yesterday with the abduction of a police officer, while an advocacy group warned that the violence could spill into neighbouring states if not urgently contained.
The state government, in a statement signed by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaiye, disclosed that Maidawa—who had terrorised communities across Kwara and adjoining Kogi State—was killed in airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force in the forests around Isanlu-Isin.
Intercepts by security services revealed that the bandit leader’s death was confirmed by his associate, a wanted kidnapper identified as Baccujo, during conversations with allies as far away as Katsina State.
Ajakaiye said the ongoing operations, triggered by last Sunday’s massacre in Oke-Ode where at least 11 forest guards and villagers were killed, were aimed at dislodging criminals from strongholds in Ifelodun, Ekiti, Isin, Edu and Patigi Local Government Areas.
“Security forces, spurred by urgent calls from the state government, have intensified their efforts to rout the kidnappers who often launch cowardly attacks on civilian populations and abduct people for ransom,” the statement read.
But in a grim twist, armed bandits yesterday abducted a police officer, Ezra John, attached to the Lade Division in Patigi Local Government.
He was seized along the Patigi–Lade road while returning from duty at Patigi General Hospital. The highway has become notorious for frequent criminal attacks.
A senior officer confirmed the incident, saying efforts were underway to rescue him.
Police Commissioner Adekimi Ojo could not be reached as he was accompanying the governor on a condolence visit to Oke-Ode over the recent killings.
Amid the turmoil, a pro-democracy group, Kwara Must Change, KMC, warned that the crisis must not be viewed in isolation.
In a statement by its state coordinator, Seko Jibril Gure, the group said the Oke-Ode massacre—which left 15 people dead, including vigilantes and a Baale—should be a wake-up call for the Federal Government.
It cautioned that the violence, if unchecked, could spread from Kwara into Osun, Ekiti, and Oyo States.
“The Kwara State Government has done all within its power to address this crisis, but security is ultimately a constitutional duty of the Federal Government,” the group stressed. “Chasing bandits from one location to another does not amount to success. Only a comprehensive national plan can eliminate the threat, not piecemeal responses.”
KMC urged the Presidency to urgently deploy additional troops, launch an intelligence-driven national operation, and create a federal intervention programme to stabilise communities under siege. “Unless decisive action is taken,” the group warned, “terrorists will entrench themselves in Kwara and spread to the Southwest with devastating consequences.”
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