The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has blamed Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for failing to tackle worsening insecurity, following Sunday’s deadly bandit attack in Oke-Ode, Ifelodun LGA, where several residents and vigilantes were killed.
In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, the PDP described the attack as “senseless and despicable,” accusing the governor of “monumental leadership failure.”
“The gruesome videos circulating online make it seem like Kwara is now at war. Under AbdulRahman’s watch, kidnappers and bandits are taking over rural villages, and nowhere is safe anymore,” the party said.
The PDP also faulted the governor for not visiting the affected community, saying a responsible leader should have met with victims’ families to assure them of action. It accused him of neglecting local vigilantes and security forces “fighting criminals in the bush” while spending state funds on “footballers and entertainers outside the state.”
The attack has heightened fears in Kwara North, where repeated raids have driven people away from farms, schools, and businesses. On Sunday, gunmen stormed Oke-Ode at dawn, killing the Baale of Ogbayo and several vigilante members.
A coalition of Nupe groups under the Nupe Descendants Union (NDU) also called for urgent intervention, urging the governor to strengthen security, improve intelligence, and visit affected communities. “Our people live in fear. Lives and property are wasted, farmlands are abandoned, and businesses are crippled,” said NDU President, Alhaji Shuaibu Mohammed.
The groups added that poor roads in Kwara North, especially the Patigi–Gbugbu–Lafiagi–Tsaragi–Bacita route, make communities easy targets for bandits.
The Oke-Ode killings are the latest in a series of violent attacks across Edu, Patigi, Moro, and Ifelodun LGAs, including the murder of a pharmacist in Patigi, the shutdown of the International Gbugbu Market, and the killing of a young driver in Esanti village.
