Kwara sets up security panel to tackle bandit attacks

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has inaugurated a high-level security committee chaired by the Deputy Governor, Kayode Alabi, to develop short-, medium- and long-term strategies for strengthening public safety.

The committee, tagged ‘Safer Kwara’ Security Committee, is expected to conduct broad consultations and produce a Kwara-specific security framework tailored to emerging threats across communities in the state.

This was disclosed in a statement released by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, on Tuesday.

Ajakaye said the committee would “midwife exclusive engagements with different stakeholders, including traditional rulers, to design a security strategy that addresses local realities.”

The committee, according to the statement, brings together senior government officials and security advisers, including: Special Adviser on Security Matters, Brigadier General Saliu Tunde Bello (rtd), Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development Abdullahi Bata, and Senior Special Assistant on Security Alhaji Muhyideen Aliu.

Others are Special Assistant on Security, Moshood Gobir, three local government chairmen, one from each senatorial district and Mrs Olufunke Mercy Shittu, PhD, from the Office of the Head of Service will serve as the secretary.

Ajakaye explained that the committee’s work is aimed at further enriching “existing understanding of nationwide security situations from local perspectives,” following recent attacks in parts of the state, especially communities in the Kwara South axis.

“The governor mandated the committee to submit its report within four weeks, after which further government actions are expected.

“The newly constituted committee is part of the government’s broader strategy to enhance surveillance, intelligence coordination, and community-level resilience across the state,” the statement added.

Kwara has witnessed a series of security breaches in recent weeks, including kidnappings and bandit incursions around the Ekiti axis, prompting calls for urgent government intervention.