State relocates medical outreach as Saraki tackles govt over insecurity
Bandits, yesterday morning, reportedly killed no fewer than 10 persons, including a village head in the Oke-Ode area of the Ifelodun Local Council of Kwara State. 
 
A reliable community source said the outlaws invaded the area, shooting sporadically, killing, maiming, and kidnapping a number of residents.
 
A vigilante, Ajetunmobi, on a live programme, accused the government of not doing enough to tackle the pervasive insecurity in the state.
 
Reacting to earlier claims that the security agencies in the area had repelled the invaders, the local maintained that the government was merely weaponising propaganda.
 
He said: “We have been hearing that the bandits were around the community since Saturday night, and we sent out messages to security operatives to be prepared. 
 
“To our surprise, this (Sunday) morning, the attackers started the attack from the duty post, targeting the vigilantes.”
 
According to him, among those killed were community members identified as Oji, Saheed Metubi, Baale Ógba Ayo, among others.
   
National President of the Oke-Ode Community Development Association, Ganiyu Ajala, condemned the killings, urging the state government to intensify security measures.

Following the precarious security situation, the state government has ordered the relocation of the 2025 Medical and Surgical Outreach Programme from the Specialist Hospital in Oke-Ode to the Cottage Hospital, Omupo.
 
Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina Ahmed El-Imam, made the announcement yesterday in a statement issued by the press secretary of the ministry, Hamdalat Saad.
 
She explained that the relocation followed a review of security concerns in parts of the state and was to ensure wider accessibility and improved service delivery to communities within the local council.
 
“The programme will provide free medical consultations, surgical procedures, and other essential healthcare services designed to enhance the well-being of residents,” the statement explained.
   
The commissioner urged residents of Ifelodun LGA and neighbouring communities to seize the opportunity, reiterating the government’s commitment to safeguarding and prioritising the health of its citizens.

Meanwhile, former President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has indicted the state government of complacency in securing the lives and property of residents.
 
Speaking at the weekend in Ilorin during the state’s Congress of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Saraki stated that the spate of killings, kidnappings, and collapse of the security system in Kwara was unprecedented
 
His words: “In the last 12 months, about 70 people have been reportedly killed in Kwara North and South, while about 50 people have sustained various forms of injury from the assailants.

“Within the same period, about 42 people have been kidnapped. Also, over 25 communities have been sacked as the residents abandoned their homes in the same period. Under the present government, Kwara State is becoming a one-town state as people from the northern and southern senatorial zones are converging on Ilorin to escape, becoming the next victims of the spate of insecurity.
 
“It has never been this bad in our state, known as the State of Harmony. The state government is living in denial and trying to suppress the facts, figures, and scenarios from coming out.
 
“They focus on accusing the opposition, which has been alerting the Federal Government and security agencies to the danger that now lurks in our communities, of playing politics with security.”