Thugs Beat, Strip Women Protesting Insecurity Outside Kwara Government House As Police Look On

Ilorin,  Kwara State– 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.

As of the time of filing this report, the Kwara State Government and the state police command had yet to issue an official response to the incident.

Afrika Eyes on July 11, 2025, reported that peaceful protesters under the banner of the Take-It-Back Movement were violently attacked in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, allegedly by thugs linked to top aides of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

One of the victims, Comrade Musa Saidu Tsaragi,, accused the Governor’s Senior Special Adviser on Security Matters, Aliyu Muyideen, and the Adviser on Social Investment, Sadiq Buhari, of orchestrating the attack to silence their protest against rising insecurity in Kwara North and South senatorial districts.

“While we were protesting, a Toyota Siena car pulled up. The front window was down, and I saw Aliyu Muyideen driving, with Sadiq Buhari in the passenger seat,” Comrade Tsaragi said.

According to him, two thugs emerged from the vehicle and began harassing the demonstrators. “One of them accused Comrade Gentle of owing him money—someone he had never met before. When we challenged him, the thug became violent. Then Sadiq Buhari pointed at me, and another thug—tall and aggressive—known as Kale punched me in the face.”

Tsaragi added that police officers later arrived at the scene, but the assailants resisted arrest and even attacked the law enforcement officers before being subdued.

“At the State Intelligence Department (SID), the thugs confessed that they were sent by Muyideen and Buhari. They accused us of being PDP agents protesting to undermine the governor,” he said.

The protesters denied any political affiliation, insisting their demonstration was purely about the security failures affecting their communities, particularly in Kwara North and South, which have suffered repeated bandit attacks.

They asked us why we were protesting against Governor AbdulRahman, insisting that the governor had done what was expected of him.

“The thugs mentioned that since the governor had appointed commissioners and special advisers from both Kwara North and South, there was no reason for our protest,” Tsaragi said.

While police took the arrested thugs away, the Take-It-Back members were eventually released.