Kwara South Rejects Claims Of Insecurity-driven Political Weakness

The Joint Security Watch Kwara South has rejected claims that banditry and kidnapping have left large parts of Kwara South deserted and weakened its voter strength.

In a statement issued to journalists yesterday in Abuja, the group’s coordinator, Elder Olaitan Oyin-Zubair, described the narrative as misleading and politically motivated ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship contest in Kwara State.

According to him, insecurity in parts of Kwara State is being driven by external criminal elements operating through porous forest routes and border communities, rather than being rooted in Kwara South itself.

“Banditry and kidnapping in Kwara entered through ungoverned forests and weak border points. They are not indigenous to Kwara South and do not define our people,” he said.

Oyin-Zubair explained that attacks recorded in some communities were largely concentrated along isolated routes and settlements with limited security presence.

He added that in locations where intelligence gathering and coordinated security operations were promptly deployed, attacks were repelled and displaced residents had since returned to their homes and farmlands.

The security group also referenced electoral statistics to support its argument on the political relevance of Kwara South within the APC.

According to Oyin-Zubair, the zone recorded stronger electoral performance for the ruling party in both the 2019 and 2023 elections compared to other senatorial districts in the state.

He claimed that the APC secured about 68 per cent electoral success in Kwara South, compared to 35 per cent in Kwara Central, alleging that some political actors were using insecurity narratives to question the zone’s voting capacity ahead of future elections.

The group further outlined ongoing security interventions across the region, including community-based patrol operations, ward-level early warning systems, aerial surveillance over identified flashpoints, and joint security operations involving the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and local vigilante groups.

The operations, according to the statement, are being carried out across Irepodun, Ekiti, Oke-Ero, Isin and Offa local government areas.

“Kwara South is securing its land, protecting its people, and restoring normal life and economic activity. We will not accept the use of insecurity as a tool for political exclusion,” he stated.

The group urged residents and the wider public to rely on verified information, insisting that Kwara South remains safe for residents to live, farm, trade and participate fully in the democratic process.