The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday raised the alarm over what it described as grave allegations linking the state government to criminal banditry, following a viral video in which arrested suspects allegedly confessed to receiving arms and logistics from government officials.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s state secretariat along Pipeline Road, Ilorin, the PDP chairman in the state, Hon. Isa Bawa Adamu represented by the state Secretary, Hon AbdulRahman Kayode Alase, said the development had placed Kwara on the national spotlight for the wrong reasons and demanded urgent federal intervention.
The opposition party said it was disturbed by the video and reports showing suspects apprehended by the Nigerian Army in Auchi, Edo State, allegedly claiming that officials of the Kwara State Government supplied them with AK-47 rifles and a government-branded patrol vehicle used for criminal operations.
According to the PDP, the suspects, during interrogation, did not claim to have stolen or purchased the weapons, nor to have seized them from security operatives, but reportedly stated repeatedly that the arms and vehicle were provided by officials of the “Ilorin Government.”
The party argued that the claims, if left uninvestigated, raised troubling questions about the source of weapons fueling insecurity across several communities in the state.
The PDP said the allegations had become more worrisome against the backdrop of persistent killings, kidnappings and attacks in Kwara North and Kwara South.
It cited figures attributed to a recent report by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, which reportedly indicated that hundreds of people were killed and abducted across major flashpoints in the state between January and November 2025, with Ifelodun, Patigi, Edu, Ekiti, Isin and Irepodun among the worst-hit local government areas.
The party recalled a number of violent incidents, including attacks on vigilantes and communities in Patigi, Eruku, Babanla, Isapa, Agbeku and Oke-Ode, where dozens of residents were killed and properties destroyed.
It also drew attention to allegations by residents of Oke-Ode that local hunters and vigilantes were disarmed shortly before a deadly attack on the community in September.
PDP leaders said the repeated mention of a figure referred to as “Oga Victor” in both the Edo arrest video and earlier incidents in Kwara communities raised serious concerns that required urgent clarification.
The party insisted that Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, as the state’s chief executive and chief security officer, owed Kwarans clear and comprehensive explanations.
At the press conference, the PDP called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to treat the matter as an issue of urgent national concern and to order a comprehensive federal investigation into the allegations.
The party further urged the Office of the National Security Adviser and relevant security agencies to carry out a transparent probe into the claims and the movement of government security vehicles.
The opposition party also demanded the retrieval and audit of all patrol vehicles allocated to local governments in the state, insisting that the process should be open and publicly disclosed to restore confidence in the state’s security architecture.
In addition, the PDP challenged the media and civil society to intensify investigative scrutiny of the allegations, stressing that communities devastated by repeated attacks deserved answers and accountability.
The party maintained that the allegations had cast serious doubt on the integrity of the state government and warned that Kwarans could no longer endure what it described as worsening insecurity, poverty and hardship. It concluded by urging decisive action to prevent further loss of lives and to restore public trust.
