Security concerns deepened in Kwara State on Tuesday after the Department of State Services (DSS) warned of a possible attack on Gbabe community in Baruten Local Government Area, prompting renewed calls by the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) for a regional security emergency.
In a confidential alert sent to the Kwara State Police Command, the DSS said intelligence reports indicated a build-up of armed men around Kiyoru Settlement in Gwanara District, raising fears of an imminent assault on Gbabe.
ENigeria Newspaper reports that the letter, dated February 5 and signed by the state DSS Director, J.S. Adams, urged the police to urgently deploy preventive security measures.
ENigeria Newspaper affirms that the warning followed a recent deadly attack on Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area, where scores of residents were killed, heightening anxiety across the Kwara North axis. According to the DSS, the suspected armed elements are believed to be operating within forest corridors around the Kainji Lake National Park, an area previously linked to violent incursions.
“The intelligence points to a credible threat that requires immediate action to forestall a breakdown of law and order,” the DSS stated, calling for heightened vigilance in vulnerable communities.
In response to the deteriorating security situation, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq convened an emergency meeting of the state security council on Monday night in Ilorin. The governor said the meeting reviewed recent attacks and strengthened coordination among security agencies to counter emerging threats.
Meanwhile, the OPC declared what it described as a security emergency, urging governors of the South-West, Kwara, Kogi and other Yoruba-speaking states to take decisive action against rising violence. In a statement issued by Kazeem Lawal, chairman of Dr. Frederick Fasehun’s OPC Caretaker Committee, the group condemned the killings in Woro and nearby communities and called for a massive manhunt for the perpetrators.
Lawal warned against politicising insecurity and demanded immediate collaboration among state governments and security agencies to protect lives and property. He also criticised what he termed the slow response to armed groups operating across forested border areas.
Residents of Baruten and Kaiama LGAs have expressed growing fear following the DSS alert, even as security deployments were reinforced in parts of Kaiama after the earlier attack. Authorities say surveillance and patrols have been stepped up while investigations continue.
The latest developments have renewed national debate over the spread of armed violence in rural communities and the need for proactive security strategies to prevent further attacks.
