- Heavy equipment roars through communities ahead operations in Ifelodun, Edu, Patigi
.As Senate summons security chiefs, seeks military base in Kwara South
Nigerian Army headquarters has deployed a full brigade and heavy equipment in different parts of Kwara South, as troops were already milling through communities inward Oke Ode and Babanla, both in Ifelodun Local Government Area.
The operation is also extending to Edu and Patigi to comb through thick forests from which kidnappers have launched cowardly attacks on different communities and abducted people in return for ransom.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who met with President Bola Tinubu on the issue at the weekend on the sideline of the visit to Jos, commended the President for the support, and the military high-command and allied security forces for the renewed intervention to eliminate all threats to public safety in the state.
“We will not spare any resources in support of the military, DSS, police, and other security agencies as they work to strengthen security of lives and properties,” the Governor said in a statement welcoming the army deployment on Wednesday.
“We are upbeat that this operation, as part of the Operation Fasan Yanma, will eliminate all of forms of threats in affected areas in Kwara South and Kwara North. I thank the President and the security agencies for the efforts so far.
As I said a few days ago, we just need to double our efforts to save the people. We are confident that the Brigader General A.A. Babatunde-led Army Brigade will succeed in this important task and clear the entire areas.”
He also commended the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Army Staff, the General Officer Commanding of the 2nd Division, and every other officer for their support.
.as Senate summons security chiefs, seeks military base in Kwara South
Alarmed at the increasing killings and kidnappings by terrorists bandits in parts of the country, the Senate on Wednesday summoned the Minister of Defence, Mohammad Badaru Abubakar, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Olufemi Oluyede and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun to brief it in plenary on the coordinated federal response to the insecurity in Kwara South Senatorial District of Kwara State.
The Red Chamber also mandated the Senate Committees on Defence, Police Affairs, and National Security and Intelligence to undertake an on-the-spot assessment of affected areas and report back within two weeks.
It also urged the federal government to set up a permanent military base in Kwara South to be able to effectively tackle the worsening menace of terrorism in the area.
These resolutions followed deliberation on a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Senator Ashiru Oyelola Yisa (APC Kwara South), on the urgent need to address insecurity in Kwara South Senatorial District.
The Senate also mandated the Chief of Defence Staff, General Chris Musa and Inspector-General of Police to deploy additional troops and special units to clear the forests and restore normalcy in affected communities,
The motion laid emphasis on setting up military base within the troubled area of Kwara South, particularly Ifelodun Local Government Area, calling for immediate and comprehensive federal intervention.
Presenting the motion Senator Ashiru expressed grave concern over the escalating insecurity in Kwara South, especially in Ifelodun Local Government Area, saying that bandit attacks, kidnappings, and killings had reached alarming levels in recent weeks, forcing thousands of residents to flee their communities.
He noted that within the last month, no fewer than 12 forest guards and local vigilante members were killed in an ambush by armed bandits in Oke-Ode, revealing that among the victims was the Baale of Ogba-Ayo community.
Several traditional and community leaders were also slain in separate incidents across Babanla, Sagbe, Oro Ago, Ganmu-Alheri, and other communities in Ifelodun, Isin, Ekiti, and Oke Ero Local Government Areas.
The motion further expressed concern that at least 142 persons have been kidnapped and over 70 killed in the last 12 months across Kwara South, with no fewer than 25 communities deserted due to recurring attacks.
He stressed that the situation had caused massive humanitarian displacement, disrupted social and economic activities, and forced the closure of schools.
According to him, farmlands have been abandoned, roads have become unsafe, and local economies paralyzed—thereby worsening poverty and increasing youth vulnerability to crime.
Ashiru asserted that the attacks were largely perpetrated by foreign armed elements in collaboration with local informants, who operate from forest hideouts along the Kwara–Kogi–Ekiti boundary axis.
While acknowledging some interventions by the Federal Government and security agencies, he lamented that such responses remained episodic, inadequate, and reactive, leaving vast ungoverned spaces under the control of criminal gangs.
The motion also highlighted that local security volunteers and vigilantes, who often serve as first responders, lacked adequate equipment, mobility, and protection, yet continued to risk their lives defending their communities.
The lawmaker warned that if the sustained insecurity in Kwara South was not urgently addressed, it could spread to other parts of the North Central and South West geo-political zones, posing a serious threat to national stability.
