Kwara Declares All-Out War on Kidnappers as Gov AbdulRazaq Vows No Hiding Place for Criminals‎

Kwara Declares All-Out War on Kidnappers as Gov AbdulRazaq Vows No Hiding Place for Criminals‎

By Abiola Adigun
Albarka 89.9 FM

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has warned that criminals and kidnappers will find no safe haven in the state, declaring an intensified security crackdown following recent attacks in parts of Kwara.
The governor made the vow after presiding over a State Security Council meeting in Ilorin on Tuesday night, where state and federal security assets were integrated into a single operational strategy to cover Kwara North and South.
The development follows last week’s violent attack at Oke Ode in Ifelodun Local Government, which heightened public concern over insecurity across the state. Kwara, like many states in the North Central region, has come under pressure from banditry and kidnapping gangs operating along forests and border communities, particularly the Kwara–Kogi axis.
Governor AbdulRazaq said he had earlier briefed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the situation and renewed his request for additional federal deployment to flush out the criminals. He disclosed that the Army Headquarters has relocated the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 2nd Division to Ilorin to coordinate the offensive.
“On Monday night, combined forces of the Army, DSS and Police launched an offensive around Baba Sango, along the Kwara–Kogi border, neutralising about 15 armed bandits. The same operation continued on Tuesday,” AbdulRazaq said.
He assured residents that his administration would deploy every resource to safeguard lives and property.
“I have assurances of the security forces to smoke out and eliminate the criminals from their hideouts. We will fight insecurity with every resource at our disposal. Kwara will not be a hiding place for criminals. To any criminal who seeks to destabilise the peace in Kwara, you may run, but you cannot escape justice,” the governor declared.
The governor’s remarks come amid stepped-up joint military-police operations aimed at preventing the state from becoming a corridor for banditry spreading from the Sahel and neighbouring states.