Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Monday presented 25 Toyota Hilux vehicles to the state command of the Nigeria Police Force to strengthen its operational capacity and efforts to combat crime, in the first batch of about 100 vehicles the administration plans to distribute to security agencies across the state.
The vehicles were presented at the Ahmadu Bello House in Ilorin, according to a statement by the Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Moshood Agboola. The governor said the intervention was aimed at sustaining the security gains recorded in recent months and commended the police and other security agencies for their efforts in maintaining peace across the state.
"You know the yeoman's jobs the security agencies have been doing to improve the security of the state. We have made serious progress in the recent months. And to sustain the work they have been doing, we have decided to provide mobility vehicles for the police force," AbdulRazaq said. "Other agencies will also benefit soon. We are doing this in stages. Altogether we are giving about 100 vehicles. This is the first set of vehicles to be delivered. Others will come soon. We trust they will use them judiciously."
The governor urged residents to provide security agencies with useful information to help prevent crime and address emerging threats before they escalate. "My message to Kwarans is to always tell the security agencies anything they see. Active intelligence gathering is the most important thing to nip things in the bud and make sure they don't degenerate," he said. He described Kwara as one of the most peaceful states in the country, attributing the situation to the efforts of security agencies. "We thank them for their services. As you can see, from all indices, Kwara State is still one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria, by independent observation," he added.
Receiving the vehicles, the state Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, said the donation was among several interventions by the governor to support the command, including the payment of special allowances to personnel deployed on special duties. "This is one of the many good things the Executive Governor has been doing for the Police, apart from paying special allowances to those on special duties, which is assisting in making our jobs easier," Ojo said. He said the vehicles would help address operational gaps, particularly in hard-to-reach areas, and pledged that the command would put them to proper use.
"This particular gesture will assist in bridging some gaps that we currently have, especially in hard-to-reach places. So, we thank the Governor for this great job. We are promising the state and the Executive Governor that we are going to make good use of the vehicles," the police chief said. Ojo added that the command would intensify its operations despite improvements in the state's security situation. "The security system has improved but we are going to double our efforts to achieve greater success," he said. The police commissioner also noted that the donation aligned with the operational priorities of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, particularly the emphasis on proactive, intelligence-led policing and enhanced operational effectiveness in protecting lives and property.
The latest donation follows previous interventions by the AbdulRazaq administration to provide operational vehicles and other equipment to security agencies in the state. In February 2020, the state government handed over Toyota Hilux vans to security agencies under Operation Harmony, a state-backed multi-agency security initiative. In June 2021, AbdulRazaq presented 20 patrol vehicles to security agencies. The government has consistently linked its investment in security infrastructure to improvements in the state's security indices, and the governor has repeatedly described Kwara as one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria.
The political context of the donation is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections for February 6. AbdulRazaq, who is serving his second term and is ineligible to seek re-election as governor, remains a key political figure in the state and a supporter of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's re-election bid. The donation to the police is consistent with his administration's emphasis on security as a foundation for development, and it places the government's record on safety and law enforcement at the centre of its political messaging as the campaign season intensifies.
For the people of Kwara State, the vehicles represent an improvement in the operational capacity of the police command, which will be expected to translate into faster response times and more effective patrols across the state's 16 local government areas. For the police command, the donation addresses a critical logistics gap that has limited its ability to reach remote areas and respond to distress calls promptly. For the AbdulRazaq administration, the phased distribution of 100 vehicles to security agencies is an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to protecting lives and property, a theme that will feature prominently in the political campaigns ahead. As the governor put it, the vehicles are intended to sustain the progress made in recent months, and the remaining vehicles will be distributed in phases. The coming weeks will determine whether the investment delivers the security improvements the government has promised.
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