Security Crisis: Kwara North Youths Stage Peaceful Protest In Ilorin

Youths from Kwara State North have called for an immediate end to the persistent killings and bandit attacks affecting communities in Edu, Patigi, and Kaiama.
The protesters, operating under the banner of the Coalition of Kwara North Youths, marched to the government house on Wednesday, carrying placards and expressing frustration over what they described as government inaction regarding the escalating insecurity in the region.

As they chanted solidarity songs and advanced toward the government house, the demonstrators said that communities from Gbugbu to Woro had become hotspots for violence, leaving residents fearful and vulnerable to recurring attacks.

Speaking to journalists at the entrance of the government house, the group’s coordinator, Usman Haruna, said the protest was peaceful but motivated by deep concern over the repeated incidents in the area.
“We stand here today as peaceful, law-abiding citizens of Kwara North, gathered at the gates of the government house, not in anger but in anguish; not in violence, but in conscience. Our communities are suffering, and remaining silent in the face of repeated tragedy would make us complicit,” he said.

Haruna claimed that recent attacks on the Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area resulted in significant loss of life over two days. He described the victims as farmers, students, parents, and breadwinners whose deaths have left lasting emotional and economic impacts on families.

“These were not statistics; they were men, women, and children whose absence has created painful voids in their homes and communities,” he added.

He further explained that communities across Edu and Patigi had faced similar threats, including farmers ambushed on farmland, travellers abducted on rural routes, and residents forced to flee their homes.

“In Gbugbu, parts of the Lafiagi area, riverine communities in Patigi, and villages across Edu, families have been attacked in their homes, and many have had to be laid to rest,” he said.