The protesters barricaded the Ilorin–Omu-Aran–Kabba Highway to demand urgent government intervention.

The protesters, made up of youths, farmers, and traditional leaders from Isanlu-Isin, Oke-Onigbin, and Edidi, blocked the highway from as early as 8 a.m., disrupting movement on the busy inter-state road.

They carried placards with inscriptions such as “Stop Kidnapping Our People” and “We Are Tired of Paying Ransom Without Results.”

A Punch report disclosed that community leaders explained t that the abductions had become routine, crippling farming and trade while forcing residents to live in fear.

Michael Ayanda, the Odee of Isanlu-Isin, alleged that bandits now operate freely in the area despite millions of naira already paid as ransom.

“We paid N30 million for two abducted persons, yet they have not been released. The kidnappers are still demanding more money,” Ayanda stated.

He added that seven local vigilantes who went after the kidnappers had not returned.

One of them was later found dead, while 30 motorcycles belonging to the group were destroyed.

The Olusin of Ijara-Isin, Ademola Julus, appealed for calm during the protest, disclosing that he had taken the matter to Abuja for discussion with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.

The Governor of the troubled state, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in a statement through his Chief Press Secretary Rafiu Ajakaye, praised the bravery of local vigilantes confronting armed groups in the forests.

The protest comes amid growing insecurity in Kwara State, where kidnapping and armed attacks have surged in recent months.

In August, gunmen abducted four travellers along the Ajase–Offa Road, demanding millions in ransom.

Earlier in July, farmers in Kaiama and Baruten LGAs abandoned their fields following repeated attacks, heightening fears of looming food shortages.

Civil society groups have repeatedly called on the state government to scale up security operations, warning that Kwara’s border with Kogi, Ekiti, and Niger states has made it a transit route for armed groups.

The ICIR in a report in January 2025 revealed that Kwara, which prides itself as a State of Harmony, has witnessed recent violent attacks that has have disrupted the tranquillity in the southern part of the state, where armed men now terrorise and force farmers off their lands.

Residents in Igbaja and other villages in the southern part of Kwara State have been living in fear due to a surge in attacks by local terrorists who have transformed the once-peaceful communities into a hub of violence.

Despite the state’s reputation as one of Nigeria’s most tranquil states, crime rates have emerged in this region with incidents of kidnapping, murder, assaults, looting, rape, maiming, and extortion, becoming alarmingly frequent.

The violence plaguing these communities can be categorised into two, based on findings by The ICIR.

The first involves attacks allegedly orchestrated by local bandits, whom residents believe have taken refuge in nearby forests following military operations in the north.

In other cases, residents accuse the neighbouring “Bororo,” also known as Fulani herdsmen who allegedly raid their farms and cart away their harvests.