Bandits Killed 150 People, Kidnapped 300 Others in Kwara in 2025, Says Varsity Don

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The Coordinating Head of the Department of Social Justice and Security Studies, Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Dr. Waliyu Oladotun Akanni, has claimed that from January to December 2025,  suspected bandits reportedly killed about 150 civilians, while 300 people were kidnapped in the state.

He called for the establishment of border community peace committees in the state as part of efforts to address insecurity in the state.

Akanni stated this in Ilorin, the state capital, yesterday while delivering a public lecture titled, ‘Preserving the State of Harmony: Reclaiming the Kwara Identity in the Era of Prevalent Insecurity in Nigeria’.

The event was jointly organised by the Ma’Assalam Foundation and Mustapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF).

According to him, “the ugly development has underscored a systemic security collapse and a critical security challenge that persisted throughout the year”.

He stated that: “The multiplier effects of armed criminality in Kwara State extend far beyond immediate violence, manifesting in the systematic retreat of state and educational institutions and the collapse of local commerce”.

He noted that “The NYSC orientation camp, a Kwara State University satellite campus, and a nursing school located at Oke-Ode in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state were relocated to Ilorin, while over 50 primary and secondary schools across five LGAs were shut down.

“Cattle markets in seven LGAs have been shut, crippling a vital sector of the rural economy, while the official.

state functions have been withdrawn from affected areas, reducing the state’s administrative presence”.

Akanni added, “Kwara’s geographical location is our greatest asset and is currently our greatest vulnerability.

“Our state borders Niger, Kogi, Oyo, and Ekiti, as well as the international boundary with the Benin Republic.

“Since Kwara shares borders with the Benin Republic and several Nigerian states, we must establish ‘Border Community Peace Committees’ to monitor the movement of non-state actors through unofficial routes.

“The Kainji Lake National Park, which links Niger State to Kwara’s Kaiama and Baruten LGAs, has become a ‘dark corridor.”

“Security reports indicate that criminal elements displaced from the North-west are hibernating in these forests, turning our backyards into their frontlines.

He added that, “Concerted efforts must be in place to secure the ‘green walls’ of the state to check the influx of  these non-state actors into the state because the  forests of Kaiama, Baruten, and the hills of Kwara South must no longer be ‘ no-man ‘s-lands.”

“The state government should build on the recruitment of more forest guards for expansion, and these guards should be recruited locally from the hunters and farmers who already know the terrain.

“We must return to our traditional roots where every citizen is a stakeholder in communal peace.

“Every ward in the 16 LGAs should formalise a community intelligence network that feeds directly into a state-monitored ‘Harmony Hotline.”

“This allows for anonymous reporting to bypass the fear of local informants, while empowering traditional rulers, which should be taken into consideration in the state.

“The Alanguas and Mogajis must be officially integrated into the state security architecture. They are the ones who know when a stranger has entered the community or when a youth is living above his known means”.

While pointing out further that “State of Harmony” is not a gift from the past; it is a loan from the future, Akanni said that, “We owe it to our children to return this state to them as peaceful as we found it.

He therefore said, “Reclaiming the Kwara identity is an act of courage. It means choosing trust over suspicion, dialogue over division, and collective vigilance over indifferent silence.

“If we stand together, the Emirate, the Christian community, the farmers of the North, and the traders of the South, the shadows of insecurity will find no place to hide in our land.”