This story by Abdulrosheed Fadipe originally appeared on Global Voices on November 8, 2025.

Tragedy struck some communities in Kwara State, Nigeria, on June 30th, when armed bandits ambushed people in Gada Woro community, Edu Local Government Area (LGA), resulting in the death of three vigilantes and leaving several security operatives injured. Seven days later, three people were kidnapped in the neighboring Gbugbu community.

In another horrible incident on September 22, 2025, bandits launched a deadly attack on the Oke Ode community in Ifelodun LGA, Kwara State, Nigeria. They killed 11 forest guards and the community head, and also kidnapped some of the residents. 

These attacks came amid a rising wave of attacks, kidnappings, and killings that have gripped communities in Kwara South and Kwara North senatorial districts in recent months.

A day after the deadly attack at Oke Ode community, September 23, bandits attacked a mining site at Agbonran community of Ifelodun LGA, killing a police officer connected with the company and abducting three other policemen. Four days later, bandits attacked the Tsaragi community of Edu LGA. After firing multiple gunshots into the air, the armed gunmen abducted a businessman named Suleiman Ndana. 

The armed bandit groups, seeing no government response or reprisal, stepped up their attacks, moving from small-scale abductions to attacking larger communities. Before the Oke Ode killings, the bandits had attacked communities such as Babanla, Baba Sango, Oreke, Ganmu Aliheri, and many others. Human Rights Watch (HRW) estimates that at least 638 villages have been attacked over the last two years across Nigeria.

These attacks have led to at least 10,000 deaths over the last two years and the displacement of many residents of the affected communities. Due to fear of potential attacks, many have fled their homes and relocated to Ilorin and other neighboring communities to seek refuge. 

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The Kwara State government has closed 45 public schools in the affected areas. Residents of the neighboring communities are living in fear and appealing to the government and security agencies to intervene and protect their lives and properties. 

Reactions to the killings

After receiving intelligence about a potential attack on their community, 15 local vigilantes in Isanlu Isin attempted to repel suspected bandits in the area on September 14th. The encounter with the bandits was bloody; the bandits killed two of the local vigilantes, abducted six others, and burned 27 motorcycles to ashes. 

To draw the government's attention, angry residents in the Isin community blocked the Ilorin–Lokoja highway on September 12th. In October, young people in Tsaragi town in Edu LGA took to the streets to protest against kidnapping and banditry in the community. The Kwara South Youth Congress (KSYC) had also called on the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to declare a state of emergency in the state. 

Citizens have also taken to social media with hashtags such as #KwaraIsBleeding and #SaveKwara to pressure the government to take action. 

While the national government has largely been silent, the Kwara State government has tried to take measures to address the issue. The state Governor, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, visited the affected communities. He condemned the attacks, mourned the victims, and requested the deployment of more federal troops to curb insecurity in the state. He assured the residents that his administration will do all it could to protect their lives.

 After attending a security council meeting on October 2nd, 2025, he said:

Other stakeholders have also taken action to address the insecurity. To enhance security measures in response to the escalating insecurity in the region, the Nigerian Army Headquarters directed the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2nd Division in Ibadan, to relocate to Kwara State on September 28th, 2025. 

The Nigerian Senate also asked the Federal Government of Nigeria to establish a permanent military base near the forest belt of Ifelodun LGA in Kwara South as a quick reaction force to counter armed attacks in the area.

Operation Fasan Yanma

The Nigerian Army personnel have been working to restore peace in Kwara State. The Nigerian Army troops of 2 Division/Sector 3 Operation FASAN YANMA successfully rescued 21 kidnapped victims that included 4 Chinese nationals. Nine more kidnapped victims were rescued by the troops of Operation Fasan Yanma on October 13th, 2025. 

The Commander of the 22 Armoured Brigade, Brigadier General Nicholas Rume, handed over the 23 rescued hostages to the Governor of Kwara State on October 28, 2025. While receiving the hostages from the commander of 22 Armoured Brigade, the Governor commended the Nigerian Army and announced plans to deploy forest guards after the army’s cleanup to prevent ungoverned spaces and allow farmers to return to their farmlands. 

The cause of the escalating violence

The destabilization of Kwara State and North-central Nigeria has been linked to different factors such as clashes between farmers and herders, the emergence of new so-called terrorist groups, governance gaps, and bandit spillover.

Some stakeholders have claimed violent Fulani herdsmen are behind the attacks, while others blame bandit spillover due to counterterrorist campaigns in the north. For example, due to intensified counterinsurgency operations in northeast and northwest Nigeria, many attackers are fleeing into the forests of Kwara State and its neighboring areas to seek refuge. According to a report by Daily Nigerian, the Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, claimed the Wulowulo and Lakurawa group, splinter groups of the Boko Haram sect, an internationally recognized terror group, are targeting farmers and villagers in North-central Nigeria, particularly in Kwara State.  

In a recent Facebook post, Sanusi Lafiagi, a public commentator and lecturer in the Department of Islamic Studies at Al-Hikmah University, expressed optimism about the improved security situation in Edu and Patigi Local Government Areas in Kwara State. Lafiagi wrote on his Facebook page:

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Lafiagi suggested some solutions to the authorities to continue improving the situation. He wrote:

" However, our appeals to the authorities are as follow:

1. Continue the combing of our forests to destroy and eliminate the criminals completely;

2. Ensure the immediate and safe return of all hostages to their homes and families;

3. Establish a military base in Kwara North similar to the one in the South;

4. Make a meaningful use of the forests, lest it becomes a base and safe haven for criminals;

5. Equip and support the local vigilantes with sophisticated weapons to complement the efforts of the military;

6. Support the victims of these violent crimes financially and psychologically to overcome these challenges;

7. Improve basic amenities such as road, hospitals, schools, electricity, etc., in these communities to ease livelihoods;

8. Establish and finance local intelligence gathering to build trust and mutual relationship between the authorities and the locals;

9. Reduce unemployment and consumption of illicit drugs among the youth to be able to eradicate crime;

10. Monitor and regularise mining activities, as a lot of these crimes are allegedly linked to mining;

11. Increase border patrol and security. The porosity of our borders is a major challenge to our security.

May Allāh protect us all.

At the moment, the authorities are working to restore calm and order. Nigerian Armed Forces are still combing the forest belts in Kwara State and neighboring states such as Kogi State and Niger State in order to flush out criminals hiding in the forest. Many residents are hoping that peace and stability will return to the affected areas soon.

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