••• Group Recounts Slain of Revered Traditional Ruler, Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, the Olukoro of Koro-Ekiti
A coalition of youth organizations in Kwara South, including the Igbomina Youth Assembly (IYAss), the Kwara South Youth Development Organization (KWAYORG), the Kwara South Consultative Youth Forum (KSCYF), and other Kwara South Youths based organization has issued a joint press statement declaring that the region is experiencing ethnic cleansing and is bleeding from relentless attacks by bandits and heavily armed gunmen.
In a press conference held at Igbomina House in Ganmo, Ifelodun LGA on Friday, the groups stated that insecurity has become a national security emergency. They asserted that the bandits, who wield more sophisticated weapons than the local vigilantes, are systematically targeting and killing community defenders.
The youth organizations reported the loss of revered traditional rulers, including Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, the Olukoro of Koro-Ekiti, as well as hunters and vigilantes who stood to defend their people.
They detailed how the wave of killings has forced residents to flee their ancestral homes, with communities like Oreke, Babanla, Ganmu-Alheri, Bankole, Shagbe, and Ologomo now deserted. This mass displacement of farmers, they warned, threatens a major food crisis for Kwara State and beyond.
The President of the Igbomina Youth Assembly, Engr. Ajibola Olugbenga, who was emotionally moved to tears while making his submission added that the blood of the innocent souls has stains the soil of the land, yet their killers roam free.
“If the situation is not immediately curtailed, it may eventually lead to a more ugly situation”, He said.
“We do not need rhetoric; we need action. We do not need promises; we need protection. The Kwara State Government, under Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, the National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Federal Government, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must understand that what we face in Kwara South is nothing short of terrorism. We are running out of time.” they further added.
They acknowledged the past efforts of the government and the traditional rulers who have spoken against the menace, while adding if truth must be told, those efforts have failed to stop the bloodshed.
“Our people are dying daily, our leaders are being murdered in their sleep, and our lands are being overrun”
The groups made a series of urgent demands and recommendations to the federal and state governments highlighted as follows;
• Immediate Military Deployment: They called for an immediate and heavy deployment of military forces, including the establishment of a full military base in the affected axis, to restore order and dislodge the bandits.
•• Emergency Security Operations: They demanded that the security operations be treated as a matter of national urgency, with military surveillance, air support, and a comprehensive combing of forests where the terrorists are believed to be hiding.
••• Modern Arms for Local Vigilantes: They requested the provision of modern arms and logistics to community hunters and vigilantes who, according to them, serve as the first line of defense for the people.
•••• Imposition of Curfew: They declared the need for the government to announce a 12-hour curfew (6:00 pm – 6:00 am) in the most affected communities to facilitate military operations.
The group also suggested initiating a Joint Security Task Force, where they called for the creation of a Joint Security Task Force involving federal, state, and local entities, as well as youth representatives, to ensure a coordinated and accountable response.
They also made a case for Federal Intervention Programs, appealing for swift federal programs to rehabilitate displaced persons, rebuild communities, and prevent further mass migration.
Speaking with journalist, the President of the Kwara South Youth Development Organization (KWAYORG) Prince Abolarin Alaba Dansharafa called on all Kwara South political office holders to intervene and bring a lasting solution to the security threats.
He specifically called on Senator Oyelola Ashiru (Kwara South Senator and Deputy Senate Leader), Hon. Raheem Tunji Ajuloopin (Member representing Oke-Ero/Ekiti/Isin/Irepodun Federal Constituency), Hon. Kayode Tijjani (Member representing Oyun/Offa/Ifelodun Federal Constituency), the ADC to President Tinubu, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi and all other political office holders to intervene as this is the time they are needed most in the region.
Alaba also urged Govt to prioritise making use of Local Vigilante to ease the tasks as they are knowledgeable about the terrains within all the communities.
Other youth leaders, and representatives from the affected communities present also echoed the same thing while collectively making a passionate plea, stating that the people are dying, the region is bleeding as they keep on losing leaders, farmers, hunters, and even the future.
“This is not the time for politics or empty assurances, this is a time for urgent action,” they echoed, emphasizing that a threat to Kwara South is a threat to all of Nigeria.
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