UGAMA TV — Edu LGA, Kwara State | Monday, June 30, 2025

 

Tensions flared in Lafiagi, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State on Monday as angry youths took to the streets to protest what they described as worsening insecurity, repeated kidnappings, and unchecked killings ravaging their communities.

 

Chanting solidarity songs and holding placards, the protesters — mostly youths — decried the government’s silence and perceived inaction in the face of escalating violence that has gripped the area in recent months.

 

In a disturbing turn of events, the protest spiraled into chaos as demonstrators reportedly set fire to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) office in Lafiagi. They also vandalised the palace of the Emir of Lafiagi, smashing windows and damaging parts of the historic structure.

 

“We have been crying and dying in silence,” a resident said in a video circulating online. “People are being kidnapped every week. We don’t sleep with both eyes closed anymore, and nobody — not the governor, not the local chairman, not even the Emir — is doing anything about it.”

 

Sources told UGAMA TV that the protest was a culmination of pent-up anger over frequent attacks and the lack of an effective response from both local and state authorities.

 

“The youths are exhausted,” one community leader said. “The frequency of abductions has increased sharply. People are scared, families are paying huge ransoms, and no one seems to be coming to our aid.”

 

The unrest reportedly intensified as demonstrators marched towards government buildings and security installations. Eyewitnesses confirmed that the NDLEA office was torched during the protest.

 

The protest followed the abduction of three Fulani women in the area on Sunday — the latest in a series of kidnappings that have rocked Lafiagi and surrounding communities in recent weeks.

 

Several residents remain in captivity, and families continue to negotiate with kidnappers under harrowing conditions.

 

As of the time of filing this report, no official statement had been released by Kwara State authorities or the Emirate Council regarding the violence and destruction.

 

UGAMA TV will continue to monitor developments and provide updates.