Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A former member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Honourable Dauda Lata, has delivered a devastating account of how bandits have overrun his community along the Kwara-Kogi border, seized his N150 million farm, harvested his crops and openly sold the produce in local markets, while residents have been left completely defenceless and at the mercy of armed criminals. Lata also made the shocking allegation that more than 100 vigilantes have been killed in his community and buried in a mass grave by residents themselves, after repeated appeals to the government for security intervention allegedly went unanswered.
The former lawmaker, who represented Lata and neighbouring communities, made the allegations while speaking as a guest on Diamond FM in an interview monitored by SaharaReporters. He said the worsening insecurity in his community and what he described as the government's failure to respond to repeated appeals contributed to his decision to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC). "I left the APC because the governor has refused to visit my community, Lata, since 2020. I even sent a message to the Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Engr. Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, but he refused to respond," Lata said.
According to him, the community, located along the Kwara-Kogi border, has suffered repeated attacks allegedly carried out by armed bandits operating from a grazing reserve in the area. "Those Fulani people that are living with us; in 2020, they burned our community, killed a lot of people. Till date, the government has done nothing about it," he said. "Our community is at the border area between Kwara and Kogi. The grazing reserve that is in our community is what they used as their base to attack us."
Lata alleged that the attacks have resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people, including vigilantes who attempted to protect the community from the armed attackers. "They killed over 100 people from my community even last year. Over hundred vigilantes were killed. We buried them in a mass grave. We, the people, did it ourselves. Not even the local government helped us or offered condolences," he said. He said residents reported the attacks to relevant authorities but claimed that government intervention came only after prolonged pressure from the community. "We reported this case to the appropriate authorities. Until last week, since last year that we reported, that the chairman of Patigi LGA came to our community," he said.
Lata also alleged that several residents had been abducted by bandits, with some victims still in captivity after their families were allegedly asked to pay huge ransoms. "Before he came, these Fulani also kidnapped people and up till now the people have not been released. They are asking for N50 million as ransom," he said. "Even if you sell all of us in my community, we won't be valued up to N50 million. We told the government about this too, nothing happened." According to the former lawmaker, another resident was killed weeks later, despite further appeals to the authorities. "After that one, another person was killed, last three weeks, we still told the government, nothing happened," he said.
The community subsequently requested the deployment of soldiers, mobile police officers or forest guards to protect residents from further attacks. He said the insecurity had also taken a psychological toll on residents, including children. "As I am talking to you now, a 14-year-old boy in my community has high BP because of fear of being kidnapped or killed by these Fulani people and lack of sleep," he alleged. "Why is the interest of my people not being taken care of? I even texted the governor on these issues."
Lata further disclosed that his farm, where he said he had invested about N150 million, was taken over by bandits last year. "Last year, these bandits seized my farm and took over it. I am a big farmer, and I invested up to N150 million on that farm. I texted the governor and the Speaker, no response," he said. He alleged that the bandits had since been harvesting produce from the farm and openly selling the proceeds in markets within the community. "We always see these bandits live and direct. They took crops and produce from my farm and brought them to our market to sell them and I could not do anything to stop them," he said.
According to him, the situation has become so severe that residents were forced to show respect to the armed men simply because they feared confronting them. "It reached a stage that we started calling them 'Brother', a sign of respect to elders and giving them honour because we cannot do anything to stop them from doing whatever they want to do in our community," he said. "They always come with guns."
Lata said the alleged inability of the government to protect residents despite repeated warnings and requests for security deployment made him question his continued membership of the ruling APC. He also criticised the alleged failure of political office holders from the area, including the state government, local government authorities and his successor in the state assembly, to adequately respond to the security crisis.
His allegations come amid a broader pattern of banditry that has plagued the Kwara-Kogi border region, where communities have increasingly been abandoned to the mercy of armed criminals. In recent months, residents of Lata Nna community in Patigi Local Government Area have appealed to President Bola Tinubu for urgent intervention, saying about 95 per cent of residents have fled the community following sustained bandit attacks that have left scores dead. The community has also reported that in August 2025, about 65 local hunters were killed during a clash with armed bandits in a nearby forest.
The former lawmaker's account paints a picture of a community that has been completely abandoned by the state, where residents have been forced to bury their own dead in mass graves, pay ransoms they cannot afford, and even show deference to the criminals who have turned their lives into a living nightmare. As he put it, "We started calling them 'Brother'." It is a confession that speaks volumes about the depth of the crisis and the failure of governance in one of Nigeria's most vulnerable border communities.
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