Deputy Senate Leader and senator representing Kwara South, Senator Lola Ashiru, has raised fresh alarm over the rising insecurity in the senatorial district, warning that the crisis threatens not only the future of the state but also neighbouring regions and the country at large.
Speaking at a strategic security assessment meeting with stakeholders, Ashiru said the programme was convened out of his deep love for the people and his conviction that the prosperity of the state rests heavily on the security and stability of Kwara South.
“This meeting is not for empty talk but for action. Today we gather as one family united by a common pain and a common purpose to reclaim the peace, safety, and dignity of Kwara South,” he said.
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The senator decried the toll of banditry, kidnapping, and violent crimes on farming, trade, and education in the region.
He said insecurity had disrupted cultural tourism, displaced investments, and left farmlands and mining activities abandoned.
“These are great losses to our people. If unchecked, the cancer of insecurity could spread southwards and devastate the entire country,” he warned.
Ashiru said the meeting was designed to “synthesize, analyze and understand the DNA of the issue” in order to develop practical solutions.
He noted that the participants were core rural stakeholders who live the reality of insecurity daily, adding that he was “not interested in playing to the gallery by taking pictures with important personalities.”
He said the most important thing is finding a realistic solution to the problem of insecurity in Kwara South.
Outlining concrete measures, Ashiru proposed the establishment of more robust Forward Operating Bases (FoBs) across vulnerable zones, better equipment and manpower for security agencies, and the revival of Forest Guards for bush and farmland surveillance.
He also called for stronger collaboration between traditional rulers, youth groups, vigilantes, and security operatives to boost intelligence gathering.
The lawmaker further stressed the need for proper documentation of land ownership in the region to reduce conflicts and track illegal settlers, as well as empowering locals to participate actively in mineral exploration to curb alienation and resentment.
“As we talk about security, we must also talk about prosperity. By engaging our own people in these ventures, we can generate jobs, wealth, and ultimately peace,” he said.
Ashiru, who is a member of both the senate committee on defence and intelligence, assured that resolutions from the meeting would be presented at the national level and disclosed that the National Assembly is preparing a national conference on insecurity.
“But every region has its peculiar history and challenges, and for Kwara South, we must trace and solve our own peculiarities to achieve lasting solutions,” he added.
Also speaking, the Kwara State chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Sunday Fagbemi, said insecurity is not peculiar to the district but requires collective efforts.
Fagbemi who said he attended the event not as a party chairman but a stakeholder directly affected, with relatives kidnapped and killed.
He called for vigilance, intelligence sharing, and community introspection, warning that local informants were aiding criminal elements.
“There must be introspection. Our people need to understand that only when there is security can we have development,” Fagbemi said.
