Insecurity: Governor Abdulrahman, wake up!

Sir: What is currently happening in parts of Kwara South and North is, to say the least, deeply agonising. Even more troubling, however, is how cold and unresponsive the state government, under Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has been in addressing this steadily deteriorating situation. To me, this reflects a troubling disconnect between the government and the people it serves.

The honest question is this: must villages and communities in these regions become completely abandoned before the government takes decisive action to stop the incessant killings and kidnappings? Rather than rise to its constitutional responsibility, the governor appears preoccupied with national and state politics, while the people live in perpetual fear and uncertainty.

I am from Oyatedo, Oro-Ago, a community that has been largely peaceful for decades. However, recent developments have forced many residents into mass displacement and exile, simply because they no longer have confidence in the government’s ability to protect them.

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According to media reports, these incessant attacks began as far back as December last year, with the death toll now running into the hundreds. How many more people must be killed or kidnapped before the government fulfils its core mandate of ensuring safety and security? Even when community members recently took to the streets in protest against these dastardly acts, little appears to have changed.

What proactive steps has the government taken? How has it communicated any assurance of safety to the people?

We need answers, and the government is obliged to respond. Why does the governor appear absent in action at such a critical time?

This is a wake-up call to the governor and all institutions responsible for safety and security in Kwara State. I speak as a bona fide indigene of Oyatedo, Oro-Ago, who has lived most of his adult life in Omu-Aran, deeply pained by the conditions my people now face. Governor Abdulrahman, do not allow my homeland to become desolate, act now!

In the immediate term, I suggest convening a security summit. Civil society organisations and NGOs can also take the lead in bringing stakeholders together to develop lasting solutions to this growing menace.

•Ademola E. Akadiri, Gothenburg, Sweden