Group issues Kwara gov. 14-day ultimatum to probe assault on protesters

By : Ene Oshaba, Abuja

Date: 1 January 2026 3:10am WAT

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Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq

Womanifesto, a movement of women groups, has condemned the violent attack on female protesters at the Kwara State Government House, Ilorin, issuing a 14-day ultimatum to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to ensure accountability and address the worsening insecurity in Oke-Ode, Ifelodun Local Council of the state.

The women, who staged a peaceful protest on Monday, were demanding urgent government action over the abduction of their husbands and children by suspected criminals.

Some of the victims, according to the protesters, have been in captivity for several months without concrete intervention from the state.

In a statement dated December 30, 2025, and signed by its Co-Convener, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Womanifesto described the women as “wives, mothers and caregivers” whose protest was “a desperate cry for protection and justice,” not a political action.

However, eyewitness accounts and video footage circulating on social media showed men allegedly armed with canes emerging from within the Government House premises to chase, beat and brutalise the women, while security operatives reportedly failed to intervene.

Womanifesto said the incident, which occurred within a government facility where protesters ought to have been protected, constituted a grave violation of citizens’ constitutional right to peaceful protest, and raised serious concerns about the safety of women in the state.

“As the Chief Security Officer of Kwara State, this incident raises serious questions about the responsibility of the government to guarantee the safety of citizens, especially women,” the group said.

While acknowledging Governor AbdulRazaq’s swift public statement distancing himself from the attack, Womanifesto insisted that condemnation without accountability was insufficient and could embolden perpetrators.

“What is wrong is wrong. Distancing the government from this act without concrete action only deepens impunity,” the statement read.

The group disclosed that it was in direct contact with some of the affected women, who recounted experiences of harassment, humiliation and physical assault, describing their trauma as “real and unacceptable in any democratic society.”

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