The Kwara State Government has dismissed viral claims that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) disarmed vigilantes in Oke-Ode, Ifelodun Local Government Area, before gunmen struck on Sunday, killing at least 12 people and abducting several others.
A viral video circulated online had shown a grieving widow accusing the DSS of withdrawing weapons from local forest guards, which she claimed left the community vulnerable.
But in a statement on Tuesday, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, dismissed the allegation as false, adding that at no point in time did the DSS disarm vigilantes in any part of Kwara.
The clarification came as DSS operatives and Nigerian Army troops killed several terrorists along the Kwara-Kogi border. Among those neutralised was a notorious kingpin identified as Maiwada, along with many of his fighters.
While sympathising with victims’ families, the government stated that the false narrative had demoralised security agencies. It appealed to residents to remain calm, united, and resist attempts by politicians or media outlets to exploit the crisis.
