Kwara South residents are pushing back hard against claims that banditry has made large parts of the region uninhabitable. Elder Olaitan Oyin-Zubair, speaking for the Joint Security Watch Kwara South, rejected the narrative on Sunday.
He said the story is misleading and being used for political gain ahead of APC's governorship race. According to him, criminals causing trouble aren't from Kwara South at all.
Oyin-Zubair noted that violence has hit remote areas with weak security mainly. He pointed out that where security forces acted fast, attacks stopped and families came back.
The group used electoral data to prove Kwara South's political strength matters. In 2019 and 2023, the zone delivered major APC victories, he noted.
Kwara South achieved a 68% APC success rate in the last election. Kwara Central, by contrast, managed just 35%, according to Oyin-Zubair's figures.
Yet Kwara Central is now claiming the southern zone lacks electoral power because of insecurity. That claim doesn't hold water, the security watch group argued.
Security efforts are already underway across the region. Community patrols operate in Irepodun, Ekiti, Oke-Ero, Isin, and Offa local government areas.
Each ward now has an early warning system in place. Aerial surveillance covers known trouble spots, Oyin-Zubair explained.
Police, NSCDC, and local vigilantes work together on these operations. The coordinated approach is yielding real results on the ground.
"Kwara South is protecting its territory and restoring normalcy," Oyin-Zubair declared. "We won't accept insecurity being used to sideline us politically."
Life is returning to normal across farms, markets, and settlements. Citizens deserve verified information, not political propaganda, he insisted.
Kwara South remains safe for living, farming, trading, and voting. That's the message residents want heard ahead of 2027.
