A national leader of the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and former Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the rising cases of insurgency across Kwara State, particularly in the Northern and Southern senatorial districts.
He described Tuesday’s killing of over 100 people in Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area as a national disaster.
While expressing sadness over the attack in the Woro community, in which insurgents razed many houses, Saraki urged President Tinubu to personally intervene by directing security agencies to set up an inter-agency intervention team tasked with flushing out the bandits from Kwara State and neighbouring states.
In a statement signed by his Press Officer on Local Matters, Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir, Saraki noted that the situation in Kwara State has gone beyond the capacity of the state government, and the President must come to the aid of the people.
“What we require now to stop this mass destruction of lives and property in our state and to restore harmony is the decisive and direct intervention of President Tinubu.
“We call on the Commander-in-Chief to direct the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Second Mechanised Infantry Division, Ibadan, to deploy his troops fully into the troubled districts of Kwara State and to establish a base in the affected areas.
“There is also the need for other security agencies to work together and maintain a strong presence across our state. That is the only way we can deter these assailants,” he added.
Dr. Saraki noted that insurgents fleeing the firepower of security agencies in other states in the North Central zone should not be allowed to find a comfort zone in Kwara State.
“Kwara State is too strategic for this country to allow insurgency to gain ground there. It is located in the middle of the country and serves as a bridge between the North and the Southwest. It also has an international border with the Republic of Benin and shares borders with many other states.”
“My sympathy goes to the people of the Woro community, particularly the families who lost their loved ones. May Almighty Allah comfort them and grant them the strength and fortitude to bear the loss. Also, may He heal all the wounded.
“However, we should not limit our reaction to this sad development to mere press comments. We should ensure that this violence against our people does not happen again anywhere in Kwara State.”
He argued that while the federal government should act decisively to protect people across the state, the state government and its respective local government councils must also play their part.
“Kwara State has not always been this unsafe. The state has always been a peaceful place, earning the sobriquet ‘State of Harmony.’ Unfortunately, things have deteriorated badly. The level of killings, arson, and displacement of people that we are witnessing now is unprecedented.
“There must be decisive measures to stop this orchestrated violence against the people. It is an unfortunate situation. This attack in Woro is a national emergency. What these criminals did in Woro was to wage war against Nigeria.
“It is a war the country must win, without delay. May Almighty Allah give our country victory over these non-state actors,” Saraki stated.
