The Department of State Service (DSS), Kwara State command, has issued a security alert to the Kwara State Police Command, warning of a possible attack on the Gbabe community in Baruten Local Government Area (LGA).
The alert follows a deadly assault on the Woro community in Kaiama LGA that left scores of residents dead.
The letter, signed by DSS State Director J.S. Adams on February 5, 2026, and referenced S.122/1/1897, indicated the movement and buildup of armed men suspected to be Mamuda elements around Kiyoru Settlement in Gwanara District. It highlighted villagers’ hostility toward the armed group and urged heightened vigilance, citing the history of violent activities by armed groups around Kainji Lake National Park. “In view of the antecedents of armed groups around Kainji Lake National Park, there is a need to emplace necessary security measures to forestall any untoward development,” the alert read.
The DSS directed the police to treat the intelligence with urgency and take measures to prevent a breakdown of law and order. Residents and local leaders in Baruten expressed concern over the warning, coming days after the Woro attack, where eyewitnesses said attackers operated from forested areas spanning Kaiama and Baruten LGAs toward the Benin Republic. Security deployments had been reinforced in Kaiama following the incident.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq convened an emergency security council meeting at Ahmadu Bello House, Ilorin, on Monday night to review the situation and strengthen coordinated responses. “As part of our multi-layered response to the recent terrorist attack in Kaiama LGA, I summoned an emergency security council meeting at the Ahmadu Bello House in Ilorin today,” he said. The governor received briefings from all security commanders and discussed strategies to neutralise threats and protect lives and property.
Governors Usman Ododo of Kogi and Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti joined AbdulRazaq to visit victims of the Woro attack receiving treatment at the General Hospital, Ilorin. Oyebanji stated, “We stand in solidarity with the people of Kwara State over this unfortunate incident. We also commend the Federal Government and security agencies for the swift response. The victims are stable but remain under close watch in the intensive care unit.”
The Yoruba socio-cultural group, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), has called on governors of South-West states, Kwara, Kogi, and other Yoruba-speaking areas to declare a state of emergency over escalating insecurity. In a statement by OPC Caretaker Committee Chairman Kazeem Lawal, the group condemned the recent killings of over 100 persons in Woro and Nuku communities and urged a decisive manhunt to apprehend the perpetrators.
Lawal stressed that the attackers must be neutralised immediately, describing the situation as an existential threat to Nigerians. “Governors of the 10 Yoruba-speaking states must immediately declare a state of emergency on security to reflect the gravity of the situation,” he said. The OPC warned it would defend Yoruba land and people against incursions by armed groups, criticizing security agencies for what it described as a reactive approach to non-state actors.
The group insisted that heightened insecurity appears to be aimed at undermining the government of President Bola Tinubu and called for proactive measures by the Nigeria Police, Armed Forces, and other security agencies to prevent further attacks.
