Former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in the growing insecurity in Kwara State, following the killing of more than 100 people by suspected insurgents in Woro community, Kaiama Local Government Area.
Describing the attack as a “national emergency,” Saraki said the scale of violence, including the burning of homes and displacement of residents, had overwhelmed the capacity of the state government and now required decisive federal action.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Press Officer on Local Matters, Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir, Saraki urged President Tinubu to direct security agencies to establish an inter-agency task force to flush out bandits operating in Kwara and neighbouring states.
He specifically called on the President, as Commander-in-Chief, to deploy troops from the Second Mechanised Infantry Division in Ibadan to the affected areas and establish permanent security bases. According to him, a strong and coordinated security presence is needed to prevent insurgents fleeing operations in other North-Central states from finding refuge in Kwara.
Saraki warned that allowing insecurity to fester in the state poses a broader national risk, noting Kwara’s strategic location as a link between northern and southwestern Nigeria, as well as its shared international border with the Republic of Benin.
“My sympathy goes to the people of Woro community, especially families who lost loved ones,” Saraki said, praying for comfort for the bereaved and healing for the injured. However, he stressed that condolences alone were insufficient without concrete action to prevent a recurrence.
He lamented that Kwara, once known as the “State of Harmony,” is now witnessing unprecedented levels of killings, arson and displacement, and called on both the federal and state governments, alongside local councils, to act decisively to restore peace and security across the state.
