Kwara Youths, Take-It-Back Movement Plan Mass Protest Over Rising Attacks, IDP Camp Controversy

 Kwara Youths, Take-It-Back Movement Plan Mass Protest Over Rising Attacks, IDP Camp Controversy

Residents and youths of Kwara North Senatorial District, under the banner of the Take-It-Back Movement (Kwara State chapter) and Kwara North youth groups, have announced plans to stage a mass protest over worsening insecurity and government policies affecting the region.

The protest is scheduled for Thursday by 8:00am at the Kwara Stadium Complex in Ilorin. Organisers say the demonstration is aimed at opposing the alleged decision of the Kwara State Government to convert the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) permanent orientation camp in Yikpata into a facility for internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The Yikpata NYSC camp, located in Edu Local Government Area, was relocated to Ilorin in September 2025 due to escalating bandit attacks and security threats in the Edu–Patigi axis. Corps members were temporarily accommodated at the Kwara State Polytechnic campus, a move that sparked protests by students who complained of overcrowding, disruption of academic activities, and forced eviction from hostels.

The unrest reportedly led to police intervention, injuries, and the eventual closure of the polytechnic for several weeks on the directive of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

Protest organisers argue that the government’s plan to house displaced women and children in the same Yikpata camp previously declared unsafe raises serious concerns. According to them, if the area was considered too dangerous for corps members, it should not now be deemed suitable for vulnerable IDPs.

They insist that Ilorin has already demonstrated the capacity to host displaced persons safely and should remain the preferred location rather than returning to an area plagued by insecurity.

Comrade Musa Saidu Tsaragi, a key figure in the Take-It-Back Movement (Kwara chapter), said the protest would also draw attention to persistent killings, kidnappings, and bandit attacks across Kwara North. He cited recent deadly incidents, including the Woro community attack in Kaiama Local Government Area, where scores of residents were reportedly killed, abducted, and displaced in early February 2026, as well as fresh violence in Gbugbu community, Edu LGA.

Residents and survivors have described these attacks as devastating, alleging that entire communities were razed, victims burned alive, and mass burials conducted amid ongoing trauma. Protesters accuse the government of failing to provide adequate security response or meaningful support to affected families.

The organisers say the planned march reflects growing frustration among youths over neglect, insecurity, and what they describe as the continued marginalisation of Kwara North. They are demanding concrete security measures, proper care for displaced persons, and an end to policies that treat the region as a dumping ground for unresolved state challenges.

With tensions rising and insecurity persisting, the protest is expected to attract wide participation and increase pressure on authorities to address the region’s deepening crisis.