Trouble is brewing in the quiet border towns of Kaiama and Baruten, Kwara State, where residents say truckloads of Fulani herders are arriving daily to register for voter cards. What should have been a routine exercise has now stirred unease, suspicion, and fear of political manipulation.
Locals describe the influx as “massive and unprecedented,” claiming the herders are being transported from different parts of Nigeria — and possibly even beyond. The communities, both Batonu-speaking and sharing a porous border with the Republic of Benin, worry this sudden mobilisation could alter the region’s delicate demographic balance.
According to INEC, the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise began in August 2025 and is scheduled to run until August 2026. But residents allege that for weeks now, trucks have been arriving in droves, offloading unfamiliar faces at registration centres.
“They started bringing them about a month ago,” one villager said, requesting anonymity. “We see them in groups — young men, women, even children — all registering. We don’t know who they are or where they’re from. It’s making everyone uneasy.”
Another resident called the situation “an organised voter invasion,” warning it could be a prelude to political manipulation or even future land conflicts. For many, the fear runs deeper than politics — it’s about safety.
Kwara’s northern region has long battled insecurity: banditry, kidnapping, and herder–farmer clashes. The new wave of arrivals, locals fear, could make things worse. “We are already living in fear of bandits. Now this?” a farmer in Baruten lamented.
INEC officials, however, maintain they’re simply following the law — registering anyone who can prove they live or work in the area. But residents argue the process has become too lax and too easily exploited.
To make matters worse, many INEC offices in nearby Edu and Patigi LGAs remain shut most days due to fear of kidnappings, further eroding trust in the system. “Even INEC staff don’t feel safe,” a source told SaharaReporters. “They’ve been told that if they get kidnapped, there’ll be no ransom money. Everyone is just scared.”
As the 2027 general elections draw closer, the people of Kaiama and Baruten are left with uneasy questions — and no clear answers. Who are these new registrants? Who is behind their mobilisation? And what does it mean for the fragile peace in Kwara’s borderlands?
