INVESTIGATION | Insecurity: Ilorin South council spent N210m on Police Post in 2025; residents say it doesn’t exist
Amid rising insecurity in Kwara State, Ilorin South Local Government expended N210 million in 2025 for the construction of a police post in Ayelabowo community — a project residents and local leaders say does not exist on ground.
Official financial records reviewed by The Informant247 show that under the item titled “Construction of Police Post at Ayelabowo” (23020101 – Construction/Provision of Office, 12310704 – Akanbi IV), the council recorded a full-year actual expenditure of N210,000,000 in 2025.
The documents also show that an additional N37,013,236.86 has been proposed for the same project in the 2026 budget.
However, checks by The Informant247 indicate that no police post linked to the council’s 2025 expenditure exists in the community.
Residents recount insecurity, self-funded effort
Speaking with The Informant247, the chairman of Ayelabowo community, Alhaji Tajudeen, said the community had repeatedly appealed to the council to construct a police post but got no response.
“We have been facing a lot of security challenges. Last year, a man was killed after his daughter was raped,” he said.
He added that the influx of unfamiliar faces into the area has heightened tension.
“You know we have lots of new faces from the North in our side, so we always have security challenges and that is why we need a police post,” he said.
According to him, when the local government did not act and insecurity worsened, residents began contributing money to start the project themselves.
“When the Local Government wasn’t forthcoming and the insecurity was getting worse, we started contributing among ourselves to start the construction. We stopped halfway when we didn’t have the capacity again,” he explained.
He described the community as largely abandoned.
“In fact, at this point, we don’t have any government presence. No police post, no government presence, no infrastructure,” he said, adding that a separate request for road grading also received no response.
Police confirm project under construction
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Kwara State Police Command, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, confirmed that a police post is under construction in the community.
However, she said she could not confirm which authority was executing the project.
‘I am not aware’ — Council chairman
When contacted, the chairman of Ilorin South Local Government Council, Hon. Nuhu Majeed Podo, said the council is currently not executing any project in Ayelabowo.
Asked how the N210 million expenditure for the police post appeared in the council’s financial records, he said he was not aware of how it was captured.
Insecurity in Kwara
This development comes against the backdrop of worsening insecurity in the state.
Data obtained by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project show that between January 1 and November 7, 2025, at least 207 people were reportedly killed in Kwara, including 84 civilians.
Within the same period, 177 persons were abducted, with the highest number of victims recorded in Ifelodun, Pategi, Kaima, Irepodun and Osin local government areas.
The data indicate that this translates to roughly two deaths every three days across the state. Of the 207 killed, 123 deaths were linked to state or non-state actors.
For 2026, records by The Informant247 show that no fewer than 200 people have been killed in the state.
Ayelabowo’s neighbouring Oko Olowo community in Ilorin South Local Government also recorded incidents of kidnapping and other security breaches in 2025, underscoring residents’ concerns about the need for a functional and visible police presence.
The Informant247 had earlier reported that the council spent about N110 million on the purchase of executive vehicles for the chairman, his deputy and speaker in 2025.
