Kwara Residents Counter Police Claims, Speak on Disturbing Attacks by 'Mahmuda' Terror Group

• A terror group, Mahmuda, in Kaiama and Baruten local government areas of Kwara state, have unleashed mayhem
• The reports of the group's activities caused anxiety in the state against the backdrop of security challenges in many parts of Nigeria
• On Monday, April 21, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq strongly warned violent non-state actors to leave the Kainji National Park immediately

Legit.ng correspondent Atanda Omobolaji has over 4 years of experience covering metro.

Kaiama, Kwara state - Residents of Kaiama and Baruten local government areas (LGAs) in Kwara state have accused security agencies of negligence and cover-up as they continue to suffer from the activities of a the armed terror group known as the Mahmuda'.

Contrary to a recent statement issued by the Kwara state police command dismissing reports of terror activities in the area, Legit.ng has learned that the group has been terrorising remote communities in Kwara state for years.

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Adamu Yahuza, a resident of Kemanji, one of the affected communities, who spoke to Legit.ng described the group as deadly and highly-organised.

Yahuza said:

"The leader of the terror group is Mahmuda; hence people call them the Mahmuda terror group. They have been terrorising us since 2020, kidnapping; killing. They are very brutal, like the Boko Harams. They claim to be Islamic preachers. But they are deadly.

"Almost all the communities in Kaiama are affected. But my community, Kemanji, is the most affected. Kemanji, Naanu, Duruma, Nuku and many others."

Furthermore, Yahuza recounted a disturbing incident involving the abduction and killing of a village head.

He said

"They kidnapped a whole village head and killed him. They came to his palace and took him."

Yahuza recalled another major attack during Ramadan that reportedly left more than 20 people dead in Nuku.

He said:

"They bombed a village, killing more than 20. The name of the village is Nuku. This was during Ramadan. I can't recall the date exactly. We missed tahajjud prayers for days due to their threats."

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Another resident, Abdullahi, did not hold back in criticising both the police and elected officials for what he described as deliberate silence.

He said:

"The police are not only lying, they are openly displaying their incompetence and unprofessionalism. This makes me think the government has a hand in the debacle.

"We have a senator in Kaiama. The senator representing Kwara North is from Kaiama. But none of them said a thing about the whole saga. Nothing I know of.

"They are playing politics with our lives. It's what they are best at."

Another source, identified simply as Abu Aisha, gave further details on the group’s stronghold and how their activities intensified after a military intervention during Ramadan.

Abu Aisha told Legit.ng:

"These people have been inside the forest for years. In fact, most of them always came out for patrol and randomly searched passersby. They stayed inside that thick forest. The forest is between Kebbi, Niger, and Kwara states. The Benin Republic also has territory inside this forest.

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"These armed terrorists turned hostile this Ramadan when the Nigerian Army attacked them. After the attack, the Nigerian Army left and it is now the communities suffering. The army has not gone back to fight them. These people attacked two days ago."

Kwara police refute report of terror group 'Mahmuda'

Despite these troubling accounts, the Kwara state police command claimed that there is no evidence to support claims of insurgent activities in the area.

Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the command’s spokesperson, in her recent statement dismissed the reports and insisted the security situation remains under control.

Ejire-Adeyemi said:

"The Kwara state police command categorically refutes the recent publication alleging the emergence of a terror group named Mahmuda within Kaiama and Baruten local government areas of Kwara state.

"Our comprehensive and continuous threat assessments, intelligence surveillance, and tactical reconnaissance operations in these areas have yielded no evidence of insurgent activity, coordinated terrorist formations, or mass casualty incidents as described."

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The command also denied that 15 vigilante operatives and villagers were killed in any attack, describing the claims as baseless.

The police said:

"The claim of 15 vigilantes being killed is entirely false and devoid of any factual basis. No internal security breach has been reported or observed in the aforementioned communities.

"While we recognise the volatile nature of cross-border movements around the Kainji Lake National Park, the Kwara state police command has maintained effective situational control across all border communities."

Mahmuda: Kwara governor issues stern warning

Meanwhiile, on Monday, April 21, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq strongly warned violent non-state actors to leave the Kainji National Park immediately.

Accompanied by top security commanders including the General Officer Commanding 2 Division of the Nigerian Army Major General Obinna Onubogu, the Kwara governor spoke at the palace of the Emir of Kaiama, Alhaji Mu'azu Shehu Omar. He also commiserated with the Emir over the attacks on members of vigilantes in Kemanji area as the criminals flee the recent military operations in the Park.

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Governor AbdulRazaq was received by the Emir and other community leaders.

Anxiety as Kwara govt demolishes shops

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that tension heightened in parts of Ilorin, the Kwara capital, as traders at Oja-Oba Market and other surrounding areas cried out over the purproted hardship allegedly caused by the state government’s enforcement of anti-street trading regulations.

A Legit.ng correspondent who visited the popular Oja-Oba market observed the presence of heavily armed security operatives deployed under the state-backed “Operation Harmony.”

Source: Legit.ng