Kwara South Residents Protest Killing of Volunteer Guards, Demand Removal of Herders
Residents of Kwara South have accused armed herders of killing local volunteer security guards whose weapons had earlier been collected by unidentified authorities for servicing.
The incident sparked protests at Kara market, where demonstrators demanded the removal of migrant Fulani herders and members of Miyetti Allah from their communities, saying the groups were responsible for repeated attacks.
Community leader Sesan Okeleye, speaking during the protest, said the killings had left residents in fear and forced families to flee their homes.
“Our hunters that were killed yesterday told us that Miyetti Allah led the squad that attacked them.
This is why we have come here today to say Kara market, which is where Miyetti Allah and Bororos are, we don’t want them in our land anymore. We want peace in our land,” Okeleye said.
He alleged that two nights before the attack, authorities collected the volunteer guards’ guns for servicing, leaving them vulnerable.
“They collected their guns two nights before for servicing and they killed all of them yesterday.
This shows that those that collected the guns know about what happened. Help us beg the government to step into these happenings,” he added.
Residents also claimed that a helicopter was seen flying over the area the night before the killings, raising suspicions that it dropped armed men who later carried out the assault.
According to Okeleye, insecurity has created sleepless nights across Kwara South.
“Any small sound, we’re all awake and we have wives and children here. People are already fleeing the town,” he said, urging government forces to dismantle what residents described as armed garages in Babanla and Odo Iya Sango.
The protesters called on the federal and state governments to investigate the circumstances surrounding the removal of the guards’ weapons and to take decisive action against the attackers.
As of press time, authorities had yet to formally respond to the allegations.
