Angry youths in Lafiagi, Edu Local Government Area in Kwara State, erupted in protest on Monday, setting the NDLEA office ablaze and vandalising the Emir’s palace over worsening insecurity, repeated abductions and killings in the area.
The demonstrators, mostly young residents, marched through the streets chanting protest songs and brandishing placards demanding urgent intervention. The outburst follows years of silence and perceived abandonment by the government and traditional authorities.
One protester, speaking in a widely circulated video, lamented:
“We have been crying and dying in silence. People are being kidnapped every week. We don’t sleep with both eyes closed anymore, and nobody—neither the governor, the chairman, nor the Emir—is doing anything about it.”
The violence escalated when the protesters reached the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency facility in the town, setting it on fire. They also attacked the palace of the Emir of Lafiagi, breaking windows and damaging parts of the building, accusing the monarch of complicity through silence.
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Sources told Daily Post that the protest was a result of accumulated frustration after weeks of unabated attacks, failed security interventions, and the release of victims only after large ransom payments.
Just 24 hours before the unrest, three Fulani women were kidnapped in the same community. Multiple families are said to still have relatives in captivity.
Despite repeated appeals for help, residents say no tangible response has come from Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, local council authorities, or federal security agencies.
As of the time of this report, the Kwara State Government had yet to issue an official statement.
FrankTalk
