- Youths Set Emir’s Palace, NDLEA Office Ablaze in Kwara
- Tension escalated in the community following the abduction of a well-known agro-chemical dealer
- The miscreants who ran away on sighting the police and the soldiers also freed four suspects who were in detention at the NDLEA office, Lafiagi.
Youths in Lafiagi, the headquarters of Edu Local Government Area in Kwara State, set fire to the Emir’s palace and the local office of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Monday in protest against the rising wave of kidnappings in the area.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that tensions escalated in the community following the abduction of a well-known agro-chemical dealer, popularly known as Alhaji Chemical, who was kidnapped from his home in the Taiwo area around 1 a.m. on Sunday.
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Gunmen, believed to be bandits, reportedly stormed the residence on motorcycles and overpowered local vigilantes with heavy gunfire before seizing the businessman.
The incident sparked widespread anger and fear among residents, many of whom say such attacks have become more frequent.
In response, youths took to the streets on Monday, blocking roads, burning tyres, and demanding immediate action from authorities.
A viral video of the protest showed residents highlighting the recent kidnapping of a young point-of-sale operator as further proof of the growing insecurity in the community.
They called on security agencies to step up patrols, apprehend the perpetrators, and secure the release of all abducted individuals.
Confirming the incident, Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, said he was in Lafiagi alongside the Commander of 22 Brigade, Sobi, Ilorin.
He described the protest as the work of a few troublemakers who damaged parts of the Emir’s palace and set fire to the NDLEA office.
“The miscreants who ran away on sighting the police and the soldiers also freed four suspects who were in detention at the NDLEA office, Lafiagi.
“As I’m speaking with you now, the police, soldiers, hunters and the local vigilantes are in the bush in Lafiagi in search of those kidnapped by the bandits and the Brigade Commander has addressed them”, the police commissioner told our correspondent in a telephone conversation.
