Attack on Ifelodun Women Protesters Exposes Collapse of Leadership in Kwara -PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kwara State Chapter, condemns in the strongest terms the brutal, inhumane, and utterly disgraceful assault unleashed on helpless women and children who staged a peaceful protest at the Kwara State Government House in Ilorin over the worsening insecurity in their communities.
These women—mostly aged mothers, wives of kidnapped victims, and their children from Oke Ode, Agbeku, Babanla , Adanla and other communities in Ifelodun LG came to Kwara State Government House as a last resort. They came crying, pleading, and begging the government to intervene in securing the release of their loved ones who have been held hostage by bandits for weeks, with outrageous ransom demands running into tens of millions of naira.
The Kwara PDP considers videos circulating in the public space which show these women lamenting in Yoruba how their husbands were kidnapped over a month ago, how entire communities have been deserted, how families have sold all they own and exhausted all options, yet the kidnappers continue to demand ransoms they cannot afford as deeply heart-breaking
However, instead of compassion, reassurance, or even basic engagement, these traumatized citizens were met with violence. It is unacceptable that thugs reportedly acting on the orders of the Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq-led government descended on these peaceful protesters with canes and other weapons, beating, stripping, and forcefully dispersing them in full public view.
More troubling is the fact that armed security operatives, particularly officers of the Nigeria Police Force, were present and watched these assaults happen without lifting a finger to protect the victims. This shameful episode represents one of the most barbaric responses to citizens’ cries for help in the history of governance in Nigeria.
It is a moral collapse of leadership and a tragic indictment of a government that has consistently failed to secure lives and property, yet finds the energy to brutalize victims of insecurity.
The Kwara PDP strongly condemns the conduct of the Nigeria Police officers on duty at the Government House during this incident. The decision of the police to stand by while innocent, grieving women and children were attacked is a gross betrayal of public trust and a violation of their constitutional duty to protect citizens, not shield criminals and political thugs
We therefore call on Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, to immediately identify, investigate, and prosecute all police officers who supervised or allowed this assault to take place. Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done.
We also demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of all government-linked thugs who carried out this attack on peaceful protesters. No society that claims to be civilized should tolerate such lawlessness under the guise of governance.
Furthermore, the Kwara PDP calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, relevant national authorities, and international human rights institutions to urgently look into this disturbing incident and the broader failure of the Abdulrahman led kwara State Government to protect its citizens from banditry, kidnapping, and state-sponsored intimidation.
Kwarans deserve protection, compassion, and leadership—not silence, violence, and intimidation. The tears of these women cry out for justice, and history will not forget those who chose to brutalitse already traumatized people instead of providing shield for them
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