Kwara Govt replies Saraki on security claims

By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

The Kwara State Government has faulted former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, over his recent criticism of the state’s handling of security matters, describing him as unqualified to speak on the subject.

Saraki had at the weekend, during the state congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accused the AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq-led administration of incompetence and failure to protect lives and property amid rising cases of kidnapping and banditry in the state.

Reacting in a statement on Monday, the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Hon. Bashir Adigun, said Saraki lacked the moral ground to speak on security, alleging that his years of political dominance in the state were characterized by fear, cult-related killings, and violent activities of political thugs.

Adigun said Governor AbdulRazaq has demonstrated greater commitment to securing the state, stressing that the present administration has consistently equipped security agencies with vehicles, gadgets, and logistics support, while also empowering vigilantes, forest guards, and local hunters to defend communities.

“Instead of offering condolences to victims of criminal attacks, Saraki has chosen to play cheap politics with human lives — a shameful display of insensitivity. Insecurity is a national scourge, not peculiar to Kwara. Bandits fleeing military bombardments in the North West often spill into North Central states like Kwara,” the statement read.

According to Adigun, the administration has combined security measures with development projects, citing investments in schools, hospitals, roads, and water infrastructure, as well as youth empowerment programs, as part of its holistic approach to tackling insecurity.

He recalled that Saraki’s close ally, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, had in 2022 admitted that foreign militias brought into the country ahead of the 2015 elections worsened Nigeria’s security challenges.

“Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq will never play politics with the lives of Kwarans. He will continue to stand with the people, work with security agencies, and invest in the future of our state. Saraki’s attempt to rewrite history and feign concern is nothing but failed propaganda,” Adigun concluded.

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