'Send Soldiers to Where Terrorists Are': Kwara Traders Lament Alleged Assault by Army Personnel
- Traders at Ilorin’s busy market have reported troubling encounters with soldiers enforcing local directives
- Eyewitnesses recount escalating tensions over minor disputes, sparking fear among traders and shoppers
- Market operators also urged authorities to deploy soldiers to rural communities facing genuine security threats
Street traders at Oja Oba Market in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, have accused armed army personnel deployed to the area of persistent harassment and physical assault.
They are now calling on the state government to redeploy the soldiers to communities battling insecurity instead of stationing them inside a civilian market.
Source: Getty Images
An eyewitness, who spoke with Legit.ng on Thursday, recounted how a minor disagreement over a parking space escalated into a violent incident involving a soldier and a couple.
“On Thursday, I was at the Oja Oba when I witnessed an armed officer brutally assaulting a couple over a parking space,” the trader said.
According to the eyewitness, the officer involved was part of a team of army personnel deployed by the Kwara state government to chase street traders away from the Oja Oba axis.
“This army personnel is part of the team deployed by the Kwara government to chase away street traders,” the trader added.
Legit.ng gathered that traders operating within and around the market have repeatedly complained of intimidation, verbal abuse, and physical force allegedly used by the soldiers while enforcing the government’s directive against street trading.
Ilorin traders demand redeployment of soldiers
Several traders, who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisals, said the continued presence of armed soldiers had created panic among traders and customers, negatively affecting business activities in one of Ilorin’s busiest commercial centres.
“I spoke to some of the traders who shared their experiences of ongoing abuse from these army personnel,” the eyewitness disclosed.
Beyond the alleged assaults, the traders questioned the rationale behind deploying soldiers to a market environment. At the same time, some parts of Kwara continue to experience security challenges linked to armed banditry and terror attacks.
Source: Getty Images
The traders appealed to the government to prioritise the safety of vulnerable rural communities rather than using military personnel to enforce civil market regulations.
“We are now calling on the government to redeploy these soldiers to terror-ravaged communities in the state instead of stationing them at the market to harass civilians,” one of the traders told Legit.ng.
Some traders described the situation as an abuse of power, arguing that disputes over trading spaces and parking should be handled by civil authorities, not armed military personnel.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng gathered that many communities in the state have been advocating for the deployment of security operatives to their towns, citing threats from terrorists and other criminal elements.
Kwara attack: Tinubu govt urged to investigate
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Crisis and Situation Monitoring Room (CSMR) urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to begin an immediate and independent investigation into allegations linking the Kwara state government to the arming of bandits operating in parts of the state.
The rights group warned that prohibited firearms and a government‑branded vehicle were reportedly found in the possession of suspected criminal elements, calling the situation a threat to national security and governance.
CSMR also called for the temporary suspension of Kwara Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq to ensure transparency, restore public trust, and prevent interference with evidence as insecurity and attacks persist.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
