Kwara South refutes claims that banditry and kidnapping have depopulated the region and weakened its electoral clout, senior security officials said on Sunday.
Elder Olaitan Oyin‑Zubair, spokesperson for the Joint Security Watch Kwara South, described the narrative that insecurity has rendered large swathes of the area uninhabitable as “misleading” and a tool being exploited ahead of the upcoming All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries.
According to Oyin‑Zubair, the security challenges facing Kwara South are linked to unregulated forest zones and porous border communities rather than to residents of the zone itself. He stressed that the perpetrators of recent kidnappings and attacks are “outsiders” and do not represent the local population. The incidents, he noted, have been concentrated along remote routes and in sparsely guarded settlements, where the lack of a permanent security presence makes them vulnerable.
“The interventions that combined intelligence, rapid response and coordinated operations have stopped several attacks, allowing displaced families to return to their farms,” he said. Oyin‑Zubair highlighted that community‑based patrols, ward‑level early warning systems, aerial surveillance of identified hotspots, and joint operations with the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and local vigilante groups have been deployed across the local government areas of Irepodun, Ekiti, Oke‑Ero, Isin and Offa.
The spokesperson also cited electoral data to underline Kwara South’s importance to the APC. In the 2019 and 2023 elections, the party secured roughly 68 % of votes in Kwara South, far exceeding the 35 % it achieved in Kwara Central – the area now circulating the claim that the south’s voting power has been eroded by insecurity.
“Kwara South is safeguarding its territory, protecting its citizens and restoring normalcy and economic activity,” Oyin‑Zubair asserted. “We will not tolerate the use of insecurity as a means of political marginalisation.”
The Joint Security Watch urged residents to rely on verified information and reiterated that the zone remains safe for agriculture, trade and the forthcoming elections.
With the APC governorship contest poised to intensify, the statements come as local security actors aim to dispel narratives that could influence voter perception and participation in Kwara South. The region’s ability to maintain stability will likely be monitored closely as the primaries approach.
