Oke-Ode bandits attack: Olawepo-Hashim warns against terrorists takeover in northern Nigeria
A figure in Nigerian politics and 2027 presidential hopeful, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has warned that Northern region faces serious security threat as terrorist groups intensify efforts to expand their influence, with potential consequences for the country’s stability ahead of 2027.
According to a statement he personally signed, In a statement Olawepo-Hashim, while extending condolences to the families of victims of the recent bandit attack in Oke Ode, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, where 15 people, including vigilantes and the community head, were killed, also called for immediate security action to rescue abducted persons.
Olawepo-Hashim opined that insecurity beyond the capacity of individual to handle as he revealed his recent discussion with the Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on security challenges in the state.
Olawepo-Hashim, while reacting to the recent bandits attack on the people of Oke-Ode community, where no fewer than 15 persons, including vigilantes lost their lives, warned that extremist groups are working to consolidate control in parts of the North, and that the North Central region could become a major theatre of conflict if urgent action is not taken.
“The Oke Ode massacre is a tragic reminder of the escalating threat,” he said, pointing to similar attacks in Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Niger, Baruteen, and Pategi local governments.
Olawepo-Hashim also urged Nigeria’s leadership to take the warnings seriously and criticized what he described as complacency among the ruling class.
“It is tragic that those in power appear disconnected from this rapidly emerging danger. Many communities remain vulnerable and unprotected,” he lamented.
He called for urgent, professional, and well-coordinated security operations to prevent the situation from deteriorating further, warning that Nigeria cannot afford to allow terrorist and criminal groups to consolidate control over ungoverned spaces.
Source: Vanguard newspaper
