Sowore Condemns Thug Attack On Women, Children Protesting Insecurity At Kwara Government House, Accuses Abdulrazaq Of High-Handedness

Akure, Ondo State– Former presidential candidate and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has condemned the violent attack on women and children who staged a peaceful protest at the Kwara State Government House over mass kidnappings and rising insecurity in parts of the state.

Sowore described the incident as one of the most despicable scenes he had ever witnessed at a seat of government, alleging that hired thugs were unleashed on unarmed protesters while uniformed officers of the Nigeria Police Force looked on without intervening.

In a statement on Monday, Sowore said the protesters—mostly women and children—had gathered peacefully to demand urgent action from the state government following repeated kidnappings and persistent insecurity in their communities.

“This video of hired thugs attacking women and children protesting peacefully in front of the Kwara State Government House over mass kidnapping and insecurity in their area of the state is one of the most despicable scenes I have ever witnessed at a seat of government,” Sowore said.

He expressed outrage that police officers present at the scene allegedly failed to protect the protesters, accusing them of abandoning their constitutional duty to safeguard lives and property.

“It is especially disturbing that uniformed Nigeria Police Force officers stood by and watched as helpless women protesters were beaten, harassed, and humiliated in broad daylight,” he added.

Sowore also accused Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, of intolerance and high-handedness, alleging that the governor either sanctioned or, at the very least, permitted the violent suppression of citizens exercising their fundamental right to peaceful protest.

“I unequivocally condemn Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s intolerance and high-handedness in sanctioning or permitting such barbaric acts against citizens exercising their constitutional right to protest. This descent into violence against women and children is unacceptable in any democracy,” he said.

The human rights activist called on the Nigeria Police Force to immediately identify and discipline officers who allegedly abdicated their responsibilities during the attack.

He also demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of those who carried out the assault.

“The thugs who carried out this assault must be arrested, prosecuted without delay, and brought to justice. Anything short of this will confirm official complicity,” Sowore warned.

The protest was reportedly organised by residents from affected communities to draw attention to ongoing kidnappings and the worsening security situation, which they say has left families living in fear despite repeated appeals to authorities.

Earlier,  Afrika Eyes reported that thugs in front of Kwara State Government house violently attacked women protesting worsening insecurity in Oke-Ode community, Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state.

The women, who had converged in front of the Kwara State Government House in Ilorin, were protesting persistent kidnappings and bandit attacks in their community, as well as the continued detention of their husbands and children in kidnappers’ dens.

Afrika Eyes gathered that the peaceful protest was disrupted when thugs emerged from within the Government House premises wielding canes and sticks, and began chasing, beating, and stripping the women in full view of operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, who reportedly failed to intervene.

A video obtained by Afrika Eyes shows the moment the thugs stormed out within the Government House, aggressively attacking the protesters.

Young and elderly women alike were beaten with canes as they fled for safety.

In the footage, an elderly woman, visibly shaken and crying, narrated the ordeal of her community, explaining that residents of Oke-Ode have been living at the mercy of terrorists who frequently abduct people for ransom.

“Please help us. They have finished us in Oke-Ode. We are poor people. We have exhausted all our means to confront this situation, and all our efforts have ended,” she cried.

She added, “They have kidnapped us completely in our communities. They kidnapped our husbands and our children. Please help us.”

Another woman, whose husband was abducted about a month ago, was also seen sobbing uncontrollably as she pleaded with authorities and Nigerians for help.

“This is one month now that my husband was kidnapped. Please help us,” she said.