Protesters from the Kwara North took to the streets on Thursday to demand an immediate end to the incessant killings and bandit attacks ravaging communities, especially in Edu, Patigi and Kaiama Local Government Areas of the state.

The residents, who protested under the aegis of the Coalition of Kwara North Youths, stormed the government house in Ilorin, the state capital, holding placards with bold inscriptions and accusing the Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq-led government of neglecting the worsening security crisis in the region.

The group’s coordinator, Usman Haruna, who spoke to journalists at the entrance of the government house, said the protest was driven by the anguish caused by the escalating killings and kidnappings in the region.

Mr Haruna stated, “Our communities are bleeding, and silence in the face of repeated tragedy would amount to complicity.”

He decried recent killings and kidnappings in the Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama LGA, stating, “These were not mere numbers; they were men, women, and children whose absence has created permanent voids in their families and communities.”

The coordinator expressed concerns that communities across Edu and Patigi had suffered similar attacks, leading to the ambush of farmers, kidnapping of travellers and the displacement of several others from their homes.

“In Gbugbu, in parts of the Lafiagi axis, in riverine settlements of Patigi, and in villages scattered across Edu, families have been attacked in their homes, and many have been buried.

“Farms now lie uncultivated, markets are quieter, and schools have experienced disruptions as parents fear for their children’s safety. Entire communities now anticipate the next attack rather than the next harvest,” Mr Haruna stated.

He slammed the government’s plans to accommodate some internally displaced persons at the Yikpata National Youth Service Corps orientation camp, which was earlier relocated to Ilorin over escalating insecurity.

“If the Yikpata orientation camp is now considered safe enough to host displaced persons, then it is safe enough for corps members. We demand the immediate return of orientation activities to Yikpata to end the disruption affecting corps members and students,” he explained.

Mr Haruna charged the government on decisive and comprehensive plans to end the killings and kidnappings in the region while working to rebuild homes and support victims with counselling services.

“We demand decisive, visible, and sustained action to end the recurring killings, kidnappings, and bandit attacks across Kwara North. We also demand a clear, time-bound security and development roadmap that will restore confidence in governance and permanently end the cycle of violence in our region,” Mr Haruna stressed.

Rafiu Ajakaye, Mr Abdulrazaq’s chief press secretary, did not reply to a request seeking comment on the steps taken by the government to address protesters’ demands.

Several communities in the Kwara North have come under consistent terrorist attacks in recent times.

Earlier this month, armed jihadists killed over 200 residents, kidnapped several others and set properties ablaze in the Woro and Nuku communities of Kaiama, leading to widespread condemnation by stakeholders and the international community.

Meanwhile, defence chief Olufemi Oluyede launched the Joint Task Force Operation Savannah Shield last Thursday to combat insecurity in Kwara and parts of Niger.