A group of women protesting continued killings and abductions in the Oke-Ode, Ifelodun LGA of Kwara State, were attacked and flogged by suspected hoodlums over the weekend.

The protesters, who staged a peaceful protest at the government house, demanded immediate action over sustained attacks by terrorists in their community while lamenting that their husbands and children had been in captivity.

In a video circulating online and seen by Peoples Gazette, the protest was disrupted by some thugs who lashed out at the protesters and chased them away in the presence of the security operatives.

Several protesters were also seen crying as they lamented the unprecedented torture they had endured at the hands of marauding bandits.

One of the protesters lamented, “Please help us; they have finished us with kidnappings in Oke-Ode. We are poor people. We have exhausted all our means to confront this situation. All our efforts have ended. They kidnapped our husbands and our children. Please come to our aid.”

The development has generated condemnation online, with some accusing the Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq-led government of unlawfully gagging and attacking peaceful protesters.

Human rights activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore condemned the unconstitutional attacks on the protesters, saying the development was unacceptable in any democracy.

“I unequivocally condemn Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s intolerance and high-handedness in sanctioning or, at the very least, permitting such barbaric acts against citizens exercising their constitutional right to protest. This descent into violence against women and children is unacceptable in any democracy,” Mr Sowore said.

Meanwhile, Governor Abdulrazaq expressed outrage over the development, ordering the police to find out who the attackers were and bring them to book.

“Peaceful protest is a democratic right,” the governor said in a statement by his chief press secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, on Monday. “The women are within their rights to express their views.”

“We, therefore, distance ourselves from the incident as it does not represent our values as a government. We call on the police to find the attackers and bring them to account.”

While describing the attack as unacceptable, Mr Abdulrazaq restated his administration’s commitment to protecting lives and property in the state.

“The government, meanwhile, is clearly not standing aloof on security matters. Just on Saturday, December 27, the governor personally led the passing out parade of armed forest guards whose mandate includes flushing out kidnappers and terrorists from our forests.

“This is in addition to heavy deployment of security forces, among other investments, to secure our communities,” the statement added.