The Kwara State Government on Wednesday ordered the closure of schools in four local government areas following rising insecurity in the affected communities.
The directive was announced by the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Kwara State Wing. In a circular issued by the NUT Chairman, Yusuf Agboola, schools in Isin, Irepodun, Ifelodun, and Ekiti LGAs were instructed to shut down immediately.
Agboola explained that the union acted on instructions from the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development after the government raised concerns over renewed security threats in Kwara South.
The circular stressed that the measure was necessary due to the deteriorating security situation and urged school heads to treat the directive with urgency. Agboola assured that further guidelines would be communicated as events unfold.
Also on Wednesday, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq announced plans to seek the establishment of a Forward Operating Base of the Nigerian Army and a Mobile Police Squadron in Eruku, Ekiti LGA. This followed a deadly bandit attack on a local church the previous night, in which three worshippers were killed and more than 35 abducted.
During a visit to Eruku for an on-the-spot assessment, the governor said he had spoken with the General Officer Commanding 2 Division and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on the urgent need for enhanced security in the area.
Residents described the attack as terrifying and accused security operatives of failing to respond during the incident. A victim, Adesuyi Joshua, whose wife and granddaughter were abducted, said the community initially mistook the gunshots for firecrackers. By the time they mobilised, the attackers had already taken hostages.
He alleged that police officers worsened the situation by firing shots and using tear gas on residents who attempted to pursue the attackers.
A youth leader, Shola Peters, also criticised the police, claiming that despite community support—including building accommodation for officers—they failed to assist during the attack. He called for a probe of the Eruku police division and urged the government to allow the community to arm itself for self-defence.
The assaulted church was holding a thanksgiving service for 18 residents recently freed from an earlier abduction when the bandits struck. According to the church’s president pastor, Lawrence Abiodun Bamidele, the attackers entered the church, opened fire, and kidnapped about 35 worshippers.
Pastor Kenneth Adigoke, the Ekiti LGA CAN Coordinator, described the attack as a direct assault on the Christian community and urged the government to address insecurity decisively.
Earlier in the day, angry youths blocked the Ilorin–Kabba Expressway to protest what they described as abandonment by security agencies. Residents claimed the attack lasted nearly an hour without intervention, despite the presence of security posts nearby.
A vigilante member suggested possible foul play, noting that the attack occurred shortly after forest guards and local security volunteers were taken for training—similar to events preceding past attacks in other communities.
The Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, who visited Eruku alongside the Kwara State Director of the DSS, promised that the perpetrators would be brought to justice and announced the deployment of additional personnel and resources, including a permanent Armoured Personnel Carrier.
The Owa of Eruku, Oba Busari Arinde Oyediran Olanrewaju, told the governor that residents had faced continuous attacks since the beginning of the year. According to him, many farmers and teachers have fled the community, while residents often contribute money to pay ransoms.
He also noted that the poor condition of the community’s roads worsens insecurity, as help rarely arrives before attackers flee.
The Eruku attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents in Kwara border communities near Kogi and Ekiti States—areas increasingly infiltrated by bandits displaced from neighbouring forests. Security analysts warn that the state’s porous borders, poor road networks, and limited security presence leave rural settlements vulnerable.
Governor Abdulrazaq’s push for a military base and mobile police unit marks a significant step toward establishing a lasting security presence in the troubled region.
