Exclusive: Report says Zamfara bandits relocated to Kwara in March, but police deny it. Now, previously safe towns face heavy attacks

In March, amid intensified military operations and vigilante crackdowns in Zamfara State, several reports suggested that armed bandits operating in Bukuyum Local Government Area (LGA) had relocated to Kwara State.

However, the Kwara State Police Command promptly dismissed the claims as false, assuring the public that the state remained safe.

Now, a recent surge in violent attacks in Kwara’s previously peaceful towns is causing many to reconsider those earlier denials.

The March report

The initial intelligence came from a captured insurgent apprehended in Zamfara by local vigilante forces.

According to security analyst Zagazola Makama, who has knowledge of insurgency in Nigeria’s Northeast, the insurgent provided vital information during interrogation about the bandits’ condition and movements.

He reportedly confessed that the bandits had suffered significant losses due to intensified military offensives and vigilante crackdowns in Zamfara, particularly in Bukuyum LGA, which drastically reduced their operational strength there.

“Many of their fighters have either been neutralized or fled due to increased pressure from local vigilantes and security forces. However, their key leaders and remaining fighters have moved to Bani town in Kwara State, leaving behind a weakened structure in Bukuyum,” the insurgent revealed.

Zagazola explained that the bandits still possess dangerous weapons and ammunition despite these setbacks.

He warned that the migration of these insurgents to Kwara State represented a new security threat, necessitating increased surveillance and counterterrorism efforts beyond Zamfara’s borders.

Kwara police reject bandit relocation claims

Shortly after the reports surfaced, the Kwara State Police Command issued a statement refuting the allegations.

Spokesperson SP Ejire-Adeyemi Toun described the report as “false, misleading, and intended to cause unnecessary panic” among residents.

The police emphasised that no intelligence or operational reports existed to support the claim that bandits had infiltrated Bani or any other part of Kwara State.

The police statement reassured the public that the command, in collaboration with other security agencies, remained vigilant and had intensified surveillance across the state to prevent any security breaches.

She added that the Commissioner of Police, Victor Olaiya, psc(+) (now transferred), personally assured residents that Kwara remained safe and that the police were fully prepared to respond to any threats.

The statement further urged the public to disregard unverified reports and to seek credible information through official police channels only.

Recent attacks in Kwara: A new reality emerges

Despite the police’s firm denial, less than three months later, recent events in Kwara State tell a different story.

Over the past few days, Patigi and Edu Local Government Areas in Kwara North have experienced a surge in bandit attacks, resulting in multiple deaths and abductions.

Several villages in Ifelodun and other parts of Kwara South have also been affected, including the abduction of two teenage girls on Monday evening.

One of the hardest-hit communities is Lile village in Patigi LGA, where bandits have not only killed residents but have demanded a N200 million levy, an approach never before witnessed in Kwara. They threatened to continue attacks if their demands were not met.

The attacks have also claimed the lives of at least two vigilante officers, who were killed in multiple ambushes during waves of violence. Residents are now fleeing their homes in several towns in Kwara South and North. Only the Central region is considered safe for now.

The Zamfara style

A resident of Lafiagi, one of the hardest-hit communities, who spoke to The Informant247 on condition of anonymity, recounted the severity of the attacks.

“Bandits ambushed vigilante forces, killing and injuring several of them, and set two of their vehicles ablaze. I’m not sure this has happened before in Kwara State. If you check most of their approach, it’s telling the Zamfara story. We might have experienced a handful of small kidnapping cases in the past, but not at this magnitude. In Baruteen and Kaiama, it is Mahmuda. In Edu and Patigi, it is bandits. No where is safe again in Kwara North,” he said.

“The bandits now impose levies on communities. We haven’t experienced that before in Kwara. Also, there were reports that when security operatives went there, they had to retreat at first because of the sophisticated weapons these bandits carried. What is this telling again?” he asked.

Residents ask govt to rethink security approach

Another source in Babanla community in Kwara South, where no fewer than two residents have been kidnapped, confirmed that the attacks were carried out by new insurgents.

“The thing is, except for Offa, Erinle and a few other places, Kwara South has been under attack for a while now. But it has never been at this magnitude. It used to be low-profile kidnapping. The attacks reduced after the second-in-command of one of the kidnappers here was arrested. He’s now in prison.

“But recently, we’ve been seeing several strange faces for the past two months now. They sometimes move in cars or on bikes with their faces covered. We reached out to local authorities and also fortified our local vigilantes, but that is obviously not helping anymore. I think the government has to rethink its approach on security now before this thing spirals out of control,” he said.

A local authority official in Kwara North, who is aware of the situation but pleaded not to be named, said there is intelligence that the attacks are being carried out by new bandits.

“I cannot sincerely tell you where they come from because I don’t know. But what I can say is, they are new here and they have sophisticated weapons. We have been holding several security meetings with the police, military and local vigilantes. We are working towards ending this once and for all,” he said.

Local authorities move to curb attacks

Femi Yusuf, chairman of Ifelodun, one of the hard-hit Local Government Areas, on Monday announced the distribution of 20 motorcycles to both government security agencies and the Local Government Security Team to enhance mobility and rapid response, as part of efforts to curb the recent wave of attacks affecting the community.

“Our local security outfit is working hand in hand with conventional security agencies to bring these criminal elements to justice, and we are already seeing encouraging results,” he said.

“I want to assure our communities that government is taking swift and strategic steps to strengthen peace and order.”

Security experts weigh in

Security reporter Azeez Atanda said the recent attacks raise serious questions about the effectiveness of existing security measures and the credibility of the police’s earlier denials regarding bandit infiltration in Kwara.

He noted that the intelligence from March, which was initially dismissed, now appears increasingly credible given the escalating violence in the region. “It suggests that bandits displaced from Zamfara may indeed have infiltrated parts of Kwara, bringing their deadly operations with them,” he said.

The expert emphasized that the bandit threat in Kwara State is no longer hypothetical, adding that recent events confirm the urgent need for enhanced security strategies that address not just the symptoms but also the root causes of banditry and insurgent migration.

He also urged the government and security operatives to prioritize transparent communication to build public trust. “Communities need timely and accurate information to protect themselves and support law enforcement efforts,” he added.

The expert warned that as the security landscape shifts, Kwara’s relatively peaceful towns can no longer afford complacency. “The lessons from Zamfara are clear: coordinated action is essential to prevent the spread of violence and safeguard the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable populations,” he said.

As of the time of writing this report, there has been no official comment from either the Kwara State Government or the police command. Residents, meanwhile, are left grappling with rising insecurity and the disruption of their daily lives.