Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq’s response to the recent bandit attack on Woro and Nuku towns in Kaiama Local Government Area has drawn criticism from the Peoples Democratic Party of Kwara State, characterizing it as superficial and lacking in tangible assurances for victims.
Olusegun Olusola Adewara, the party’s State Publicity Secretary, criticized the governor’s response to the attack, which killed at least ten locals, in a statement released in Ilorin on Wednesday.
Late on Tuesday night, attackers struck the Woro and Nuku settlements, killing locals and setting multiple homes on fire, forcing many inhabitants to escape.
The PDP condemned the attack as “gruesome, despicable, inhuman, and callous,” pointing out that one of the victims was a former president of the state’s tertiary institution’s Students’ Union.
“This is a wicked act that no human should ever inflict on fellow human beings,” the party said.
According to the opposition party, once again demonstrated the state government’s inability to adequately address insecurity.
According to the PDP, Kwara state required far more than “propaganda, photo-ops and hollow sympathy messages” to confront insurgency and banditry.
“This incident is yet another reminder that what Kwara urgently needs is decisive, practical and people-oriented leadership,” the statement read.
Adewara said the governor’s official communication on the incident was “merely cosmetic and completely lacking in hope or concrete reassurance for the wounded victims and the devastated community.”
A responsive government, according to the party, would have acted right away to assist those affected.
“A responsible government would have ordered the immediate deployment of humanitarian relief and medical emergency services to assist the victims and help the community cope with this painful tragedy,” the statement added.
The PDP also accused the governor of presenting a distorted picture of the security status in the state.
“Unfortunately, the governor’s statement is riddled with self-adulation and a misleading portrayal of security in Kwara State,” it said, insisting that insecurity remained widespread.
The party also pointed out that attacks on towns and kidnappings were still happening across the state.
“As at press time, citizens are still being kidnapped and villages continue to suffer attacks, despite repeated claims that insurgents are being decimated,” it stated.
The PDP urged security authorities to step up efforts to find and prosecute the offenders while calling on the state government to immediately provide medical assistance, relief supplies, and humanitarian help to the affected communities.
The party offered its condolences to Alhaji Omar Shehu Muazu, Kiyaru II, the Emir of Kaiama, while grieving alongside the people of Woro and Nuku. They also prayed for the deceased’s everlasting repose and lasting peace in Kwara state.
