Kwara: Stakeholders raise the alarm as bandits sack communities

Kwara map

The Igbomina Professional Association has expressed deep concern over the worsening wave of insecurity threatening villages, families, and communities across Igbomina land and Kwara South.

In a statement on Tuesday, the President of the association, Bode Iranloye, acknowledged the efforts of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, as well as the chairmen of Ifelodun, Irepodun, Isin, and Ekiti Local Government Areas, alongside security agencies, for steps taken so far to address the crisis.

However, the association stressed that more coordinated, sustainable, and community-driven measures are urgently required to stem the tide of insecurity, describing the trend as a recurring menace undermining peace, agriculture, commerce, and the very fabric of communal life.

It noted that the problem cannot be solved by security agencies alone, but requires the joint efforts of communities and security experts.

The association urged the strengthening of community security structures by integrating vigilante groups and hunters with the police under proper regulation, while also empowering traditional rulers to play a stronger role in intelligence gathering.

It further called for economic empowerment and job creation through skill acquisition centres, agricultural support schemes, and digital training hubs aimed at reducing youth unemployment and poverty-driven crime.

On education, the association recommended a revival of the Omoluabi values of discipline and integrity through moral and religious instruction, backed by sensitisation campaigns against crime. Punch