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The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has urged president Bola Tinubu to probe ‘disturbing’ allegations linking the state government to banditry.
Addressing a “world press conference” on Monday in Ilorin, the PDP State Chairman, Hon. Isa Bawa Adamu, said the party was compelled to speak due to the seriousness of the allegations and their implications for public safety and national security.
A viral video in the state had shown arrested suspected bandits accusing state officials of supplying them arms and logistics.
In the video, the suspected bandits arrested by the Nigerian Army in Auchi, Edo State, allegedly confessed that they received AK 47 rifles and a government branded patrol vehicle from officials of the Kwara State Government.
Also, a metallic blue patrol vehicle with the inscription “Local Government Security Initiative, Ifelodun Local Government” numbered “035” was displayed in the video allegedly recovered from the bandits.
In the video, one of the suspects, speaking in Hausa and Nigerian Pidgin, claimed that the vehicle they used for patrol and the rifles were provided by the “government”.
“Ilorin government na him give us this motor and the weapons. They were the ones that gave us the rifles,” the suspect said, adding that the weapons were collected by their superior and not directly by him.
Other detainees were seen lying face down as the questioning continued.
But speaking during the briefing on Monday, the PDP said the suspects were seen in the video with their hands tied while responding to questions from security operatives on the source of their weapons and logistics.
The party said the suspects did not allege that the weapons were stolen, purchased from black markets, or seized from security operatives, but repeatedly insisted they were supplied by government officials.
The party described the allegation as a “grave accusation of state sponsored criminality” and said it placed a heavy burden of explanation on Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who is constitutionally the Chief Security Officer of the state.
The PDP argued that the allegation gained further weight against the backdrop of persistent killings and kidnappings across Kwara State.
The party recalled several recent attacks, including the killing of vigilantes in Patigi, kidnappings in Eruku, Babanla, Isapa and Agbeku communities, as well as the September attack on Oke-Ode, where more than 15 people were reportedly killed.
According to the PDP, residents of Oke Ode had earlier alleged that a man described as a government-linked security agent disarmed local hunters and vigilantes a day before the attack, after claiming the weapons were to be serviced.
The party said the name mentioned in that incident was the same name allegedly mentioned by the suspects in the Edo arrest video, describing the coincidence as too serious to ignore.
The PDP “demanded that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq publicly explain who the individual referred to as Oga Victor is, the official role he plays, and how government issued weapons and vehicles allegedly ended up in the hands of criminal elements outside the state”.
The party also questioned how a patrol vehicle assigned to a local government council could be moved outside its jurisdiction without official authorization.
It called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to treat the matter as an urgent national concern, noting that the governor is also the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum.
The PDP urged the Federal Government to order a comprehensive and independent investigation into the allegations and the confessions made by the arrested suspects.
It further called for what it described as emergency measures in the state, including the suspension of the governor, to allow for an unhindered investigation.
The party also appealed to the Office of the National Security Adviser to limit security engagements with the state government pending the outcome of investigations.
In addition, the PDP asked security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police Force, to retrieve and audit all patrol vehicles allocated to local governments across the state to ensure none is in the possession of criminal groups.
The party said the allegations of this magnitude must be thoroughly investigated in the interest of justice and public safety.
It called for the declaration of a state of emergency and the suspension of Governor AbdulRazaq, in the “interest of justice, morality, and public safety.”
