Tension as Kwara Residents Demand Shut Down of Popular Cattle Market, Give Reason
- Tension gripped a Kwara community as angry residents staged a protest over worsening insecurity
- Protesters accused a popular local market of harbouring criminal elements behind the rising attacks
- They urged government intervention to restore peace and protect lives in the troubled area
There was tension in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara state as residents took to the streets to protest what they described as the rising wave of killings, kidnappings, and insecurity allegedly linked to the Fulani cattle market in the community.
Source: Getty Images
In a video made available to Legit.ng by one of the protesters, identified as Abdulrahman, the demonstrators demanded the immediate closure of the Patigi Kara Market, which they claimed had become a hideout for suspected bandits and criminal herders.
Abdulrahman, who spoke passionately on behalf of the youth, said the community was living in constant fear due to the activities of suspected bandits operating around the market.
He said:
“We, the youth association, together with our leaders, are here to appeal to the government to come to our aid because we have been terrorised day and night by bandits and Fulani men. We want this Kara Market in Patigi to be shut down because we have been seeing strange faces there, and we don’t know who they are."
“Even at night, we can’t come outside. The General Hospital in Patigi has been deserted because doctors have run away due to kidnappings and killings. We no longer have doctors in the hospital, and patients are dying. Our lives are not safe; we can’t even go to our farms, and our produce is getting spoiled because we are afraid of being killed or kidnapped."
“Please, we need help from the government, traditional rulers, the local chairman, and the governor. We are dying here. If anyone tells you we are safe in Patigi, it is a lie. Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, please come to our aid."
“And to Senator Sodiq, who went to the chamber and said we are safe here in Patigi, it is a lie. They are killing us day and night. There is no single day that we don’t receive news of someone being killed or kidnapped. Please, come to our aid.”
Source: Getty Images
Kwara community leaders cry out
Another community leader, who spoke in Yoruba during the protest, also expressed fear and frustration over the worsening security situation.
He said, “We thank our youth for standing up today. They are killing us because of the Kara Market in Patigi, and we don’t want that market anymore. We also don’t want the Bororos here again because doctors and bankers have left due to the killings and kidnappings."
“We don’t have anyone to treat us, and most of the schools have closed down. We are pleading with our king, our governor, and the government to come to our rescue. We have stopped going to our farms, and our produce is getting spoiled. Please, we need help urgently.”
The protest, which attracted a large number of residents, has further heightened tensions in the community.
The protesters called on the Kwara state government and security agencies to take immediate action to restore peace and address the security threats allegedly emanating from the market.
Kwara cleric arrested for alleged chíld abùse
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a popular Islamic cleric in Ilorin, Kwara State, was arrested on October 16 for allegedly brutalising a 10-year-old boy in his care.
A video obtained by the news outlet showed the child’s body covered in fresh cane marks and bruises after he reportedly informed his mother someone spoke ill of her.
The suspect, said to be a relative of the boy’s late father, was taken into custody by the NSCDC while the rescued child received medical and psychological care.
Source: Legit.ng
