In the quiet town of Lafiagi, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, fear has become a daily companion. For months now, families have lived in the shadows of gunmen—terrorists and kidnappers who strike in the dead of night, snatching loved ones without warning. But on Monday morning, that fear finally gave way to rage.
Tired of waiting for help that never came, hundreds of angry youths stormed the streets in protest. Their message was loud and unmissable: enough is enough.
Videos obtained by SaharaReporters showed just how far the frustration had boiled over. Protesters set fire to the local NDLEA office and vandalized parts of the Emir’s palace—symbols, in their eyes, of a failed system that had abandoned them.
“We have been crying and dying in silence,” one of the residents told SaharaReporters. “People are kidnapped every week. We don’t sleep with our two eyes closed anymore, and nobody—not the governor, not the chairman, not even the Emir—is doing anything about it.”
For many of the protesters, Monday’s outburst wasn’t just about a single incident. It was the climax of years of fear and silence. According to locals, terrorist attacks and abductions have become so common that entire communities now live in dread. Some sleep fully clothed, ready to flee at any sound of gunfire. Others have stopped sending their children to school.
The Breaking Point
According to residents, the latest wave of violence hit too close to home. Within just 12 hours, three people were kidnapped in two separate attacks. One of the victims, a well-known POS operator named Yman, was abducted on Sunday night in Lafiagi town. Barely a few hours later, two Hausa men were seized during a violent raid in Kokodo village on Monday morning.
A third victim, a young girl, only escaped because she had the presence of mind to run into the nearby bushes.
“These attacks are now daily occurrences,” one resident said. “We are no longer safe. Our people are being taken in front of their homes and shops, and nothing is being done about it.”
The growing sense of helplessness has cut across ethnic and religious lines in the area. Community vigilantes are overwhelmed. Police presence is either minimal or reactive, arriving only after the attackers have fled.
A Town Under Siege
Just a day before Monday’s protest, another well-known resident—an agro-chemical dealer known as Alhaji Chemical—was taken from his home in the Taiwo area of Lafiagi. Witnesses say the attackers came on motorcycles, heavily armed and precise. They reportedly overpowered local security men with ease and disappeared into the night with their victim.
“Nobody has heard from the kidnappers,” a local source confirmed. “But both vigilantes and the security operatives have been briefed, and they’re trying to track them.”
Still, many in the community say that’s not enough. They want to see real action—soldiers, not just vigilantes; arrests, not just promises. Most of all, they want to feel heard.
From Desperation to Defiance
The storming of the Emir’s palace and the NDLEA office didn’t happen in a vacuum. These were desperate acts by a community that feels abandoned—by their leaders, their institutions, and even their country. What was once bottled-up pain has now exploded into defiance.
As of this report, authorities have yet to make any strong public statement, even as more families mourn missing loved ones and more villages go silent at dusk, praying not to be next.
The people of Lafiagi are not just asking for security—they’re pleading for their lives back.
