Rising Insecurity in Kwara North and the Dangers of Alabidun’s Story_Sanchitagi Qasim

Rising Insecurity in Kwara North and the Dangers of Alabidun’s Story_Sanchitagi Qasim 

On May 26, 2026, I decided to sleep at a military checkpoint in Gbugbu solely to observe the experiences of thousands from Edu and Patigi who can no longer travel home at night. When I arrived at about 10:00 PM, some who had arrived earlier were already asleep, lying on the coal tar and inside vehicles, while some babies were crying. Many others were grumbling over the early closure of the road, while a few were praying quietly for safety. The night was longer than usual as I prayed throughout. This is a security post that could be attacked by bandits; anything could happen. By 6:00 AM, the road was open and we all left. It was a terrifying incident, but I had prepared my mind.

In the following four days, I visited different communities and families directly affected by banditry. I also paid a condolence visit to the family of a man known as Ya Nndace from Sanchitagi, who was gruesomely slaughtered, and whose body was dumped along the Yanna–Tsonga road. The Kwara State Police Command has yet to comment on this incident more than a month after. I guess it is because the incident cannot be said to be AI, like the attack on innocent protesters in front of our Government House.

It was barely two weeks after my visit that a story titled “How Military Operations Revived Social, Farming, Commerce in Kwara North” by one Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman trended. Almost all people of conscience were outraged by the report. The story was published during the week when bandits abducted six residents from Rukpete village in Edu LGA, Kwara State. A resident’s life was taken, while another was injured along the Lade–Gbangede road in Patigi. It was the same period Lafiagi was attacked twice within 40 hours, leaving two persons dead and at least seven others abducted, all within the same week.

Many red flags could be spotted in Alabidun’s report, which many consider a fictional story. First, a quick check on the medium (IntercontinentalNews247) he used would reveal that the platform has no history of investigative reporting. The blog’s content can only boast of less than 3% originality; the rest are reshared information. Even Alabidun’s profile as a journalist is not an inspiring one. This should make any reasonable individual worried.

Secondly, Alabidun failed to visit the known deserted communities in Edu and Patigi such as Lata Woro, Matokun, Esanti, Kokodo, Ndanaku, etc., and only mentioned names of local governments except in three doubtful cases. He claimed to have interviewed someone from Woro who said that people who left the community had mostly returned. He reported this as if Woro people did not return the second day after the attack to bury their dead and search for corpses that could not be identified at night. “Mandzakwa” was another community he referenced. There is NO community with this name in Kwara North. The closest is Mandzwakwa, and findings reveal that there was never a time this village was deserted.

Thirdly, the status of communities in Lafiagi, where people were going to their family houses or other houses to pass the night, has not changed. People still do not sleep in those communities at night. And even if there were people who still live in those areas, could this be considered a return to normalcy?

Also, the absence of images of people who spoke with Alabidun or his own pictures in the communities he claimed to have visited is a big blunder in true journalism. None of his respondents agreed to show his or her face?

When Alabidun claimed that commercial activities have gradually resumed in Kwara North, one would want to ask him why Gbugbu Market, which was closed as a result of insecurity, has not been reopened. The trader he claimed to have interviewed did not mention which of her businesses were closed and have since been reopened following improved security.

Similarly, Alabidun did not interview any farmer who has returned to farm safely while claiming improved security. It is safe to say that most farmers still cannot access their farms today. So where did this reporter get his data from?

Well, angry youths gave Alabidun a chance to speak to his claims on June 7, but he sounded more confused than his report. What put many who were on the call off was when he was asked what community he would reach first when traveling to Edu from Ilorin. He could not answer. That was what raised the suspicion of many that Alabidun could be on a sponsored mission.

Analysts say there could be no elections in the region come 2027; youth advocates insist that “no security, no election,” but Alabidun said otherwise.