Kwara Security Woes:NYSC Camp Relocation,Kara Market Closure Raise Concerns

 

 

Kwara Security Woes: NYSC Camp Relocation, Kara Market Closure Raise Concerns

 

The Kwara Advancement Initiatives (KAI), a civil society and pro-democracy group, yesterday decried what it described as the collapse of security in Kwara State following the relocation of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp from its permanent site in Yipata, Edu Local Government, to the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, and the closure of Kara (cattle) markets across Kwara South.

 

The group, in a statement, faulted Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for what it termed failure to protect lives and property, insisting that the two developments were clear indications of a leadership gap.

 

According to KAI, communities in Edu and Patigi have come under increasing attacks from kidnappers and armed gangs in recent months, while markets and farmlands in the South have been deserted due to fear of insecurity.

 

It lamented that instead of confronting the threats head-on, the state government had “resorted to silence and indifference,” a posture it said had emboldened criminals while exposing citizens to danger.

 

“The relocation of the NYSC camp is not a mere administrative decision; it is an admission that Kwara is unsafe for corps members. For over four decades, the NYSC has symbolised national unity. To now have Kwara retreat from hosting corps members at its permanent camp is a national embarrassment,” the group said.

 

On the closure of Kara markets, KAI said the action had crippled local economies, noting that the markets were lifelines for farmers, traders, and transporters.

 

“This is not a solution to insecurity; it is a retreat. By shutting down these markets, government is strangling commerce and worsening poverty,” it added.

 

KAI urged the Federal Government to intervene urgently by deploying more security to the state, restoring the Yipata NYSC camp, and supporting affected communities.

 

“Kwara is fast becoming uninhabitable. Citizens cannot be abandoned, and communities cannot be deserted while a state government sleeps,” the group stressed.