VIDEO: Women Protesting Insecurity, Abductions Attacked, Flogged By Thugs At Government House As Police Watch
Women protesting worsening insecurity and mass abductions in Oke-Ode, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, were attacked and beaten by suspected thugs during a peaceful demonstration at the Government House in Ilorin over the weekend.
The women had gathered at the Government House to demand urgent intervention by the state government over persistent attacks by armed groups in their community and the continued captivity of their husbands and children. According to the protesters, many victims have been held in kidnappers’ camps for months without rescue.
Eyewitnesses said the protest was violently disrupted when men wielding canes allegedly emerged from within the Government House premises and descended on the women, flogging both young and elderly protesters and forcing them to flee.
A video obtained by Naija News House shows the moment the assailants ran out, swinging canes and beating the women as they screamed and scattered in panic. The incident reportedly occurred in the presence of operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, who were accused by witnesses of standing by without intervening.
Sources alleged that the attackers were linked to the Kwara State Government and were deployed to disperse the protest instead of allowing the women to present their grievances.
In one of the video clips, a distraught woman tearfully appealed for help, describing the dire situation in Oke-Ode.
“Please help us, they have finished us with kidnappings in Oke-Ode,” she cried. “We are poor people. We have exhausted all our means. They kidnapped our husbands and our children. Please come to our aid.”
Another woman, whose husband was abducted about a month ago, was seen sobbing uncontrollably as she pleaded for assistance. “It is one month now since my husband was kidnapped. Please help us,” she said.
Residents of Oke-Ode have repeatedly raised alarm over the activities of kidnappers and armed groups operating in the area, accusing authorities of failing to protect lives and property.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Kwara State Government nor the Nigeria Police Force had issued an official response to the allegations.
The incident adds to a growing list of alleged attacks on peaceful protesters in Kwara State. On July 11, 2025, members of the Take-It-Back Movement were reportedly assaulted in Ilorin while protesting rising insecurity in Kwara North and South senatorial districts.
One of the victims, Comrade Musa Saidu Tsaragi, alleged that the attack was orchestrated by top aides of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, including the Senior Special Adviser on Security Matters, Aliyu Muyideen, and the Adviser on Social Investment, Sadiq Buhari.
Tsaragi claimed that thugs emerged from a vehicle allegedly driven by Muyideen, with Buhari in the passenger seat, and attacked the protesters. He further alleged that at the State Intelligence Department, the assailants confessed they were sent to disrupt the protest, which they accused of being politically motivated.
The protesters, however, denied any political affiliation, insisting their demonstrations were solely to draw attention to escalating insecurity and repeated bandit attacks affecting communities across Kwara North and South.
They maintained that their protests were driven by fear for their lives and frustration over what they described as government inaction in the face of persistent violence.
Click here to watch video: https://x.com/deefiremedia/status/2005581490776900025/video/1
