Residents of Oke-Ode in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State have praised the Federal Government for deploying soldiers to their community to curb banditry and restore peace.
Speaking with journalists on Friday, October 10, the National President of the Oke-Ode Development Association, Alhaji Abdulganiyu Ajala-Bello, described the deployment as “a right step in the right direction.”
He said the move followed the community’s repeated appeals for security intervention as attacks by bandits had become rampant.
“It’s a good development because it is one of the things we have been clamouring for as a community.
“Some time ago, we appealed to the Federal
Government to set up a military base in the area because banditry had reached an alarming rate.
“Almost all the villages around the axis have been attacked by bandits,” Ajala-Bello said.
He noted that over 52 communities had been forced to flee their homes due to the attacks, which left several people dead, injured, or kidnapped.
“Presently, I can confirm that soldiers are in Oke-Ode as we speak, doing their duty, and we want to thank the Federal Government for this,” he added.
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According to him, the arrival of troops has brought relief to residents and allowed businesses to resume.
“Gradually, life is coming back to normal. Yesterday was our market day, which holds every five days, and business activities have resumed. We pray that the victims and the community recover fully from their losses,” he said.
Ajala-Bello also revealed that the community had arranged buses to transport displaced residents back home.
“Some people want to return but do not have the transport fare. So, on Saturday, buses will be provided at designated areas in Ilorin, precisely at Olak Petroleum Station, opposite A Division, to convey people back home from 7:00 a.m.,” he explained.
He urged the authorities to sustain the operation and ensure that “any form of banditry and criminality in the axis and the state as a whole should be a thing of the past.”
Earlier in the week, the Senate called on the Federal Government to establish a permanent military base in Kwara South, particularly within the forest belts of Ifelodun Local Government, to stem the growing wave of insecurity.
The motion, sponsored by Senator Oyelola Ashiru, warned that the escalating cases of attacks, kidnappings, and killings were creating humanitarian crises and crippling local economies, noting that unchecked insecurity in the region could spill into neighbouring states.