Mass exodus in Kwara South as kidnapping crisis worsens

Communities across Kwara South are emptying out as residents flee a wave of kidnappings that has turned once-peaceful villages into danger zones.

The worst hit is Ifelodun Local Government Area, where abductions and armed raids are reported almost daily. Villagers from Sabe, Ologomo, Alabe, and Babanla are packing up and leaving in droves, abandoning homes, farms, and businesses.

Videos from the scene show men, women, and children stranded at Oke-Ode garage with bags and household items, desperately searching for any available transport to safer areas.

“Please, Kwara State Government, come to our aid,” pleaded Ganiyu Babatunde, one of the displaced residents. “Since I have been travelling from Ajase to Oke-Ode, I have encountered more than 10 vehicles filled with people fleeing their ancestral homes with their belongings. Some of them are even coming from Babanla.”

Babatunde described chaotic scenes at Oke-Ode, where even trucks and motorcycles are being used to evacuate residents.”I’m at Oke-Ode Garage. All the vehicles here have left for Sabe community to convey people who are running away from their homes. As you can see, I’m at Oke-Ode garage right now. Some people just brought their belongings here, trying to flee.

“Kwara State Governor, please come to our aid. The issue of insecurity in our communities is terrifying us. We don’t know what to do anymore.

“We are using this opportunity to call on the Kwara State Government and those at the helm of affairs. Communities that used to live peacefully are no longer peaceful.

“I have been here since morning, and there is no vehicle left. They have all gone to other communities to pick up people, even using motorcycles. A Dangote truck is being used to convey people and their belongings.

“Please, Kwara State Governor, come to our aid. We are in Oke-Ode community, and everyone is fleeing. Kidnappers have turned our community into a deserted place.

“May God help us and see us through. We don’t know what we have done to deserve this. We are tired, and people are leaving one after the other,” he added.

The kidnapping surge is not isolated to Kwara South. On August 14, armed attackers stormed Lataworo community in Edu Local Government Area, forcing residents to run for safety—the second raid in that council within a single day. The number of victims abducted remains unclear.

Earlier, on June 30, three Edu villages—Gada, Lataworo, and Kokodoko—came under coordinated attack, leaving several residents and vigilantes injured.

In Kwara North, gunmen abducted four people from Gamalegi village in Lafiagi Emirate on August 13, raiding the community around 11 p.m. under heavy gunfire. A resident described the invasion as “hell on earth,” noting there was no visible security response as the kidnappers escaped into the bush.

Across both Kwara North and South, locals fear the escalating violence could leave entire towns deserted. Some worry that if they abandon their ancestral homes, strangers could seize their lands and heritage.

(SAHARAREPORTERS)