Lafiagi Faults Senator Umar’s Submission on Insecurity in Kwara North
An Islamic Scholar and academic, Dr. Sanusi Lafiagi, has faulted the comments made by the Senator representing Kwara North Senatorial District, Sadiq Umar, regarding the state of insecurity in the region.
Dr. Lafiagi expressed disappointment over the Senator’s remarks, which he described as “false and unfortunate,” following the lawmaker’s claim that insurgency had subsided in Kwara North and had shifted to the southern part of the state.
In a statement released on Thursday, Lafiagi said the Senator’s assertion did not reflect the reality of the worsening security situation in parts of Edu and Patigi Local Government Areas (LGAs), where residents continue to suffer frequent attacks, kidnappings, and killings.
“Is the Senator unaware of the daily attacks and kidnappings of his constituents in Edu and Patigi?” Lafiagi asked. “Over 100 people have lost their lives in the last three months, with dozens still in captivity and millions of naira paid as ransom.”
He lamented that several communities, markets, and farmlands in the area have been deserted due to persistent insecurity, citing the Gbugbu Market and NYSC Orientation Camp in Yikpata as examples of once-thriving locations now abandoned by residents.
Dr. Lafiagi accused Senator Umar of failing to use his platform to highlight the plight of his constituents, especially victims who remain in captivity.
“It is disappointing that our supposed representative downplayed the severity of our predicaments and instead sympathised with our counterparts in Kwara South, who have not suffered a quarter of what we have endured in Edu and Patigi,” he added.
He further noted that the silence of affected communities may have contributed to the neglect they now face, saying it took the killing of 15 people in Oke Ode for the public to learn about the nearly 100 deaths recorded in Edu and Patigi in recent months.
