In response to growing insecurity across communities in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, a collective of concerned locals has put forward a five-point demand targeting urgent action against criminal threats.
Top on their list is the “immediate deployment of fully armed security personnel to all identified hotspots and the establishment of a permanent joint security base within the local council.”
In a strongly worded message titled “Enough is Enough,” the residents pressed for direct government involvement in equipping and training community-based forces. They demanded “training, equipment, and institutional support for local vigilante groups and hunters to enhance their capacity to combat crime.”
Labeling the situation as dire, they urged the state government, law enforcement, traditional rulers, and other stakeholders to step in swiftly with unified responses.
They pushed for “the convening of emergency town hall meetings involving the state governor, heads of security formations, royal fathers, and grassroots representatives to deliberate on the crisis,” and further requested “weekly security briefings from elected officials to keep residents informed of progress, or inaction, regarding security interventions.”
Reacting to the concerns, the Chairman of the local council, Femi Yusuf, said his team had already taken steps since he assumed office eight months ago.
He explained that consultations had begun with traditional leaders to assess threats and craft actionable strategies.
Yusuf said the council had “revamped the local vigilante structure, with personnel strength increased and stipends raised by 50 percent.”
READ ALSO: Kwara Govt Activates Mobile Courts to Tackle Environmental Offences
He confirmed that the council also placed vigilantes under the Kwara State Health Insurance Scheme to improve their benefits.
According to him, “To enhance night-time security, we instituted daily patrols from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM across all wards.”
He added that over 50 suspects had been arrested through joint operations and are “currently undergoing prosecution.”
Yusuf also pointed to a new initiative developed in partnership with the local traditional council.
This involves setting up a ward-level security network with “a ward-based network of community hunters, totaling about 100 members, to boost grassroots surveillance and intelligence gathering.”