AbdulRazaq Approves N120m for Kaiama Community After Bandit Attack
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State approved N120m for the rehabilitation of communities affected by bandit attacks in Kaiama Local Government Area, the state government has said.
The Permanent Secretary, General Services, Shuaib Abdulganiy, disclosed this while briefing Defence Editors in Ilorin on the state government’s response to insecurity.
According to him, the governor immediately set up a committee including a traditional ruler in the area after the attack to assess damages and provide relief materials to affected residents.
He said the committee distributed food items, clothing and other palliatives to victims, with support from the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA.
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“After the report of that committee, the governor released another tranche of money, about N120m, for reconstruction, provision of boreholes, rebuilding of palaces and fumigation of the affected communities,” Abdulganiy said.
He explained that the intervention was aimed at restoring normalcy and helping displaced residents return to their communities.
The permanent secretary also defended the state government against criticisms on social media regarding the security situation in parts of Kwara.
He described a viral video circulated by suspected bandits in the Woro-Nuku area as an attempt to stir emotions and pressure families into paying ransom.
According to him, preliminary investigations by the DSS indicated possible foul play surrounding the video.
“The video was shown to community leaders and residents. They could hardly identify up to five people from their communities among those displayed,” he stated.
Abdulganiy said many of the women and children seen in the footage spoke different languages, suggesting that the footage may have involved persons from different locations.
Speaking on the wider security challenge, he explained that armed groups often move across states through forest corridors linking Kwara, Niger and Kogi states.
He said some of the criminals displaced from North-West states such as Zamfara and Kebbi had infiltrated forest reserves around Kaiama, Baruten and Patigi.
According to him, the state government has repeatedly engaged military authorities for aerial surveillance and air raids in identified criminal hideouts.
“Whenever the military conducts raids, the criminals disperse and later regroup. That is why sustained operations and technology deployment are important,” he added.
