The Kwara State Government has accused a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, of weaponising killings and kidnappings in the country for political effect.

“We acknowledge that Senator Saraki is at liberty to weaponise this national calamity and the pains of everyone for political effect,” said the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Rafiu Ajakaye, in a statement on Saturday.

He stated, “The consolation is that people of good conscience can see through the bad politics as the comments under the post showed.”

Mr Ajakaye’s statement came after Mr Saraki, in a recent Channels TV interview, decried the repeated killings and kidnappings across several communities in Kwara and accused the Abdulrazaq-led government of failure to protect lives and property.

“O To Gẹ government has failed. Even in their own party, they will tell you that you can’t compare our administration with this one. I’ll quote an international institution that said Kwara State was one of the safest states in the years. All of a sudden, it has become an emerging area for terrorism and attacks,” the former governor said.

However, Mr Ajakaye insisted that while the government acknowledges festering insecurity as a serious national problem, efforts and resources were being channelled to address the situation.

He added, “Senator Saraki expectedly found solace in security issues, especially banditry and terrorism. Yes, the dynamics have changed across West Africa and the Sahel as a whole. We readily acknowledge that banditry and terrorism are a serious problem. We do not make any show of whose deaths are more; a human life is priceless.

“Every resource is being channelled to end the madness of the bad faith actors. The security agencies are never left without the support of the state government. And this is in hundreds of millions of naira every month.”

Citing recruitment of forest guards to support security agencies in the state, Mr Ajakaye stated that the current administration was supporting communities to build resilience and curtail the evil.

He noted, “Kwara was among the pioneer states to recruit forest guards and it contributed immensely to their welfare till date. In a pragmatic search for solutions, the government is supporting communities to build resilience and curtail the evil. Victims are supported within ethical boundaries that do not cause bigger problems.”

Mr Ajakaye added that Mr Abdulrazaq-led government had recorded impressive successes in infrastructure, education, health and social welfare, urging Mr Saraki to stop comparing oranges with apples.

“The Otoge administration is not perfect. No government in the world is. But His Excellency is advised to quit comparing apples with oranges. They are not the same,” the politician stated.

The dispute came amid growing terrorists attacks in several communities in Kwara State, especially in Edu, Patigi, Ifelodun and other rural areas, where lives had been lost and livelihoods disrupted.