In a statement on Monday, National Publicity Secretary Jare Ajayi emphasised that citizens have an inalienable right to draw the government’s attention to their plight, provided their actions are peaceful
By Tilope Adako
The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has expressed deep concern over the increasing cases of kidnapping nationwide and condemned the reported attack on women protesting at the Kwara State Government House in Ilorin.
In a statement on Monday, National Publicity Secretary Jare Ajayi emphasised that citizens have an inalienable right to draw the government’s attention to their plight, provided their actions are peaceful.
Ajayi described the recent attack on Kasuwan Daji in Niger State as “saddening,” noting that it occurred at a time when terrorism was expected to be curtailed.
Reports indicated that women and children from Oke-Ode in Ifelodun Local Government Area had gathered at the Government House on a Save Our Soul (SOS) mission.
They sought government assistance to pay ransoms demanded by kidnappers for the release of their husbands and children, and called for an end to recurring terrorist attacks in their communities.
The protesters were reportedly flogged by suspected thugs near the entrance of the Government House. Kwara State Police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi confirmed the incident, which is under investigation, while Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq condemned the attack.
Afenifere condemned the assault, highlighting that the protesters were unarmed and posed no threat.
The group also drew attention to a similar incident in Kabba, Kogi State, where residents protesting frequent bandit attacks in the Kabba–Bunu and Okun-speaking areas were reportedly tear-gassed.
The spokesman for Ayetoro-Kiri community in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area, David Ampitan, said, “It is both ironic and unacceptable that a government entrusted with protecting lives and property would criminalise peaceful protest, while bandits roam freely, killing, kidnapping, and terrorising law-abiding citizens.”
The group recalled several recent security incidents, including the December 2025 attack on Ayetoro-Kiri community, the abduction of nine people in Adanla, Igbaja, Kwara State, and the bombing of a police station in Ipele, Ondo State, on New Year’s Eve.
Afenifere also referenced the February 2024 killing of the Olukoro of Koro-Ekiti, Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, the December 2025 abduction of former Ogun State lawmaker Honourable Moruf Musa, and the kidnapping of former customs officer Emmanuel Owolabi in Osun State.
According to the organisation, areas including the Benin–Owo–Ipele axis of Ondo State, and parts of Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Borno, Zamfara, and Niger states, have become hotspots for banditry and kidnappings.
“At present, the security response appears reactive rather than proactive,” the group said, adding that attackers seem determined to instil fear and seize control of vulnerable communities.
Afenifere outlined challenges facing security agencies, including insufficient manpower and equipment, lack of specialised skills, internal complicity, poor community-level intelligence, and attacks on mineral-rich areas.
“Winning this war requires a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic strategies, including sustained intelligence, mapping, control, and deterrence,” it said.
The organisation expressed hope that President Bola Tinubu’s 2026 New Year message, promising protection of lives, property, and territorial integrity, would be fulfilled.
Afenifere called for the unveiling of bandit sponsors, empowerment of security personnel, and the establishment of state police to realise the President’s pledge.
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