KWARA ATTACKS: A GRUESOME TESTAMENT TO LEADERSHIP FAILURE – BAMOFIN LADIPO JOHNSON
LAGOS, NIGERIA – The recent coordinated assault on the Yashikira Emir’s Palace and the Yashikira Police Divisional Headquarters in Baruten LGA, Kwara State, is a chilling reminder that the current administration has completely lost its grip on the security of this nation.
Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) stalwart, Bamofin Ladipo Johnson, who made this known in a statement yesterday condemned the attacks in Kwara and Oyo states as evidence of a systemic security collapse, highlighting the abduction of over 30 pupils in Oyo and fatal incidents in Baruten LGA. Johnson, a Lagos Central Senatorial aspirant, warned that this insecurity is causing severe economic paralysis, with food prices at Oyingbo market in Lagos State rising about 150% and logistics costs increasing 30-40% due to supply chain disruptions.
”Early Monday morning, while citizens slept, gunmen operated with impunity, setting a royal palace ablaze and abducting ten innocent Nigerians. This comes barely 48 hours after a separate horrific attack in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara, where three worshippers were murdered and fifteen kidnapped during a church vigil.
“The blood of the innocent is crying out from the soil of Kwara, just as it did only last week in Oyo State when bandits once again reminded us that no one is safe,” Johnson stated.
“This government’s ineptitude has turned the average Nigerian citizen into a pawn in a deadly game of survival. We are witnessing a systemic collapse where even police stations—the very symbols of state protection—are no longer sacrosanct.”
*A Leadership Deficit*
The NDC stalwart maintained that the escalating insecurity is not merely a tactical failure but a lack of political will. While the current leadership offers empty assurances, the NDC, led by H.E. Seriake Dickson, presents a ticket of proven capacity.
“Nigeria needs leaders who have the political will and understand the machinery of defence,” Johnson continued. “Peter Obi, whose record of administrative prudence and insistence on accountability is legendary and H.E. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso who does not need a briefing on how to secure a nation; having served as the Minister of Defense under President Obasanjo, overseeing a period of decisive military stability. Both gentlemen of the NDC offer the political will and experience required to bring sanity back to our streets.”
*The Way Forward*
While the government recently introduced the “Pulako” initiative to address root causes in conflict areas and increased the use of surveillance drones, these measures are “too little, too late” without structural reform. To prevent total anarchy, Bamofin Ladipo Johnson, though not speaking for the party, proposes the following immediate interventions:
*Decentralized Policing:* The Yashikira attack proves that local intelligence is useless if the response must come from a distant federal command. We must move beyond rhetoric and implement state and community policing immediately.
*Border Fortress Strategy:* Baruten LGA is a border community. Our borders have become porous gateways for arms and foreign mercenaries. We must deploy integrated electronic surveillance (biometric tracking and thermal sensors) along our West African frontiers. We must also have a strengthend border force.
*Incentivized Intelligence:* Security is a collective effort. The government must establish a “National Whistleblower Fund” specifically for security intelligence, rewarding local hunters and forest guards who provide actionable data on bandit camps before they strike.
*Military-Industrial Synergy:* Instead of perpetual importation, we must empower DICON (Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria) to partner with private tech firms to produce low-cost tactical gear and reconnaissance tools domestically.
“We cannot continue to do the same thing and expect a different result,” Johnson concluded. “As I seek to represent the people of Lagos Central in the Senate, my priority will be the legislative framework that strips away the bottlenecks preventing our security agencies from being proactive rather than reactive. The NDC is ready to lead. We have the experience, we have the will, and we have the plan.”
Bamofin Ladipo Johnson
Lagos Central Senatorial Aspirant
Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)
