Soldiers Storm Lafiagi Waterworks In Kwara To Arrest Journalist For Exposing Uncompleted Project

Ilorin,  Kwara State– Armed soldiers allegedly  deployed by the Kwara State Government on Monday stormed the Lafiagi Waterworks project site in Edu Local Government Area in an attempt to arrest Comrade Saidu Musa Tsaragi, a journalist representing NupekoTV.

Tsaragi was at the site to cover developments surrounding the controversial waterworks project, which the state Commissioner for Water Resources, Usman Yunusa Lade, had earlier claimed to have been completed.

Meanwhile, NupekoTV had exposed discrepancies and raised questions about the true state of the project.

According to sources who spoke with Afrika Eyes, about 20 heavily armed soldiers arrived at the scene while Tsaragi and his team were interviewing the president of the Lafiagi Emirate Youth Transparency Association (LEYTA).

In a video obtained bby Eyes, some soldiers were seen carrying rifles as heated arguments erupted between the troops and members of the community.

The situation reportedly escalated when residents resisted the soldiers’ attempt to arrest Tsaragi, insisting that the journalist was only performing his duty and had done nothing wrong.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Kwara State Government nor the Nigerian Army had issued an official statement regarding the incident.

The Lafiagi Waterworks project has been a subject of public scrutiny, with journalists and residents of Kwara State alleging that funds allocated for the project were mismanaged despite government claims of completion.

Afrika Eyes had reported that fresh controversy has trailed Lade, over his January claim that the Lafiagi Waterworks project had been completed.

During an official inspection by a government delegation sent through the Ministry of Water Resources, the generator meant to pump water reportedly failed to start for over hours.

A video obtained by Afrika Eyes shows the delegates struggling to power the generator, raising serious questions about the integrity of the Commissioner’s earlier statement.

Residents of Lafiagi expressed frustration that, despite government assurances that the waterworks is completed, one of the main submersible pumps at the facility is still not working.

They also questioned why water pumped from the site for nearly six hours failed to reach the main reservoir, leaving many communities without supply.

This development follows public outcry earlier, when the Commissioner allegedly ordered the arrest and persecution of NupekoTV publisher, Tauheed Baruwa Muhammed, after he criticised the Lade over the incomplete waterworks project.

Muhammed was later sent to prison for questioning Lade’s claims of completion.

The situation has once again fueled anger among residents, who accuse the Lade of misleading the public about the readiness of the project.

Community members are now demanding transparency and an independent investigation into the true status of the Lafiagi Waterworks to ensure accountability in the management of public funds.

Meanwhile, the Lafiagi Emirate Youth Transparency Association (LEYTA) has refuted claims that the Lafiagi Waterworks is currently functional, insisting that residents of the town have no access to water despite reports suggesting otherwise.

In a press statement issued on Saturday, the association said findings from its monitoring visit to the waterworks revealed serious operational failures, including a malfunctioning submersible pump and unresolved reticulation problems.

According to LEYTA, only three out of the four critical submersible pumps at the facility are functional, while one remains out of service — a situation that has greatly reduced the plant’s capacity to pump water efficiently.