Community leaders in Kwara State have called for the direct allocation of security votes to local government councils as insecurity continues to escalate across parts of the state.

The demand was made on Sunday in Abuja by members of the Offa Security Committee, led by retired Air Vice Marshal Abdul-Ganiyu Olabisi, who warned that communities are increasingly overstretched in their efforts to support security agencies.

“As first responders to any breach of security, communities have a critical role to play, but this responsibility cannot be sustained without government support,” Olabisi said.

He revealed that the Offa community had set up a vigilante structure to complement formal security agencies through intelligence gathering and patrol operations, funded entirely by residents.

According to him, the community spends over N10 million monthly on logistics, including personnel salaries, vehicles, motorcycles, and fuel.

“Monthly, the community spends over N10 million on security operations without any form of government support. This is not sustainable,” he said.

Olabisi stressed that calls for community participation in security must be matched with adequate funding, proposing that security votes be allocated directly to local governments to strengthen grassroots responses.

“There is an urgent need for the government to allocate security votes directly to local governments to support community-based security initiatives,” he added.

He argued that such a move would improve transparency, accountability, and the speed of response to security threats at the local level.

“If security votes are channelled directly to local governments, it will strengthen grassroots security and ensure timely responses to incidents within communities,” he said.

The retired Air Vice Marshal also expressed concern over delays in establishing state police, noting that while the initiative is commendable, it may take years to materialise.

“We cannot wait for years while communities are under attack. Immediate intervention through direct funding is necessary,” he said.