The federal government has assured Kwara residents of its commitment to restoring peace and tackling insecurity across the state.

The senior special assistant on community engagement (North-Central), Abiodun Essiet, gave the assurance on Thursday during a stakeholders’ meeting in Omu-Aran.

Ms Essiet said President Bola Tinubu prioritised grassroots engagement and mandated her to interact directly with communities to understand their concerns.

She said the government was intensifying efforts to ensure safety across the country.

Ms Essiet disclosed that a Citizens’ Assembly of youths and key stakeholders had been constituted and trained in intelligence gathering and documentation. She said the assembly would report community concerns directly to appropriate authorities.

Representatives from the seven local government areas in Kwara South attended the meeting to articulate their challenges and needs.

“We are in Kwara South to listen to the concerns of the people and relay them to Mr President,” she said.

Ms Essiet explained that the Citizens’ Assembly provided a platform for engagement with religious leaders, traditional rulers, association heads, vigilantes and women leaders.

Ms Essiet urged residents to cooperate with security agencies, assuring them that concrete plans were in place to address prevailing security challenges. She advised communities to report suspicious movements and avoid harbouring unknown persons without proper verification.

Ms Essiet warned against paying ransom to kidnappers and encouraged residents to report such incidents promptly to authorities. She assured stakeholders that the Tinubu administration would sustain community-based engagements to strengthen trust and collaboration.

Traditional ruler, Olomu of Omu-Aran, Oba Abdulraheem Oladele Adeoti, commended the government for initiating the engagement. He also appealed for the rehabilitation of the Omu-Aran–Ajase–Kabba road to boost economic activities.

Similarly, the Olupo of Ajase-Ipo, Oba Ismail Muhammed Alebiosu, urged the government to grant traditional rulers statutory roles that are legally recognised.

Mr Alebiosu, chairman of Igbomina and Ekiti Traditional Rulers of Kwara, also advocated full local government autonomy. He stressed that no tier of government should be dependent on another.

He further suggested converting unused bush areas into productive ventures such as barracks and national parks.

(NAN)