The Deputy Senate Leader and Senator representing Kwara South Senatorial District, Arc. Oyelola Yisa Ashiru, on Wednesday, raised a motion of urgent national importance on the worsening insecurity in his constituency.
He also called for an immediate and comprehensive federal intervention to stem the tide of killings, kidnappings, and displacement ravaging the area.
Presenting the motion titled “Urgent Need to Address Insecurity in Kwara South Senatorial District, Particularly Ifelodun Local Government Area – Call for Immediate and Comprehensive Federal Intervention,” Senator Ashiru painted a grim picture of the humanitarian and security crisis confronting several communities across Kwara South.
The lawmaker expressed grave concern over the rising wave of bandit attacks, especially in Ifelodun Local Government Area, where dozens of villages have recently come under siege.
He lamented that no fewer than twelve forest guards and local vigilantes were killed in an ambush by armed bandits in Oke-Ode, including the Baale of Ogba-Ayo community, while several traditional rulers and community leaders were slain in similar incidents in Babanla, Sagbe, Oro Ago, and Ganmu-Alheri across Ifelodun, Isin, Ekiti, and Oke Ero Local Government Areas.
Ashiru further disclosed that at least 142 persons have been kidnapped and over 70 killed within the last twelve months across Kwara South, forcing about 25 communities to be deserted due to recurring attacks.
He said the situation has led to widespread humanitarian displacement, economic paralysis, and closure of schools, worsening poverty and exposing young people to crime.
He noted that the attackers, largely believed to be foreign armed elements working with local collaborators, operate from forest hideouts along the Kwara-Kogi-Ekiti boundary axis, taking advantage of the difficult terrain and limited federal security presence.
While acknowledging past federal interventions such as sporadic patrols and raids, the Deputy Senate Leader described the responses as “episodic, inadequate, and reactive,” lamenting that vast ungoverned spaces in the region have become sanctuaries for armed criminals.
He commended local security volunteers and vigilantes for their sacrifices despite poor equipment, lack of mobility, and absence of insurance, urging the Federal Government to strengthen and compensate them.
“If this insecurity in Kwara South is not decisively addressed, it could easily spread beyond our borders to other parts of the North Central and South West, posing a greater national security threat,” Ashiru warned.
Following his motion, the Senate resolved to:
1. Urge the Federal Government to establish a permanent military base in Kwara South, near the forest belts of Ifelodun Local Government Area, to serve as a rapid response hub; and direct the Chief of Defence Staff and Inspector-General of Police to deploy special forces to clear the forests and restore normalcy.
2. Call on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide immediate humanitarian relief to displaced residents and compensate families of slain forest guards and vigilantes.
3. Direct security agencies to identify and prosecute local collaborators aiding bandits’ operations in the region.
4. Mandate the Senate Committees on Defence, Police Affairs, and National Security and Intelligence to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of affected communities and report back within two weeks.
5. Invite the Minister of Defence, Chief of Army Staff, and Inspector-General of Police to brief the Senate on ongoing security efforts in Kwara South.
6. Observe one minute of silence in honor of forest guards, vigilantes, traditional leaders, and innocent citizens who lost their lives in the attacks.
The motion, which received overwhelming support from lawmakers across party lines, underscores the growing national concern over the spread of rural banditry and the urgent need for a coordinated security strategy in Nigeria’s North Central region.
