DSS Issues Fresh Security Alert in Kwara as OPC Calls for Emergency Measures Over Rising Attacks
The Department of State Services (DSS) in Kwara State has issued a security alert warning of a possible attack on Gbabe community in Baruten Local Government Area, heightening concerns over rising insecurity across the state’s northern region.
The warning comes just days after a deadly assault on the Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area, where armed attackers reportedly killed scores of residents and forced many others to flee their homes.
According to a letter dated February 5, 2026, and signed by the DSS State Director, J.S. Adams, the intelligence report was forwarded to the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, urging immediate action to prevent further violence. The letter, referenced S.122/1/1897 and titled “Threat of Attack on Gbabe, Baruten LGA,” highlighted the movement and build-up of armed individuals suspected to be part of Mamuda elements in the Kiyoru Settlement area of Gwanara District.
The DSS stated that the potential attack stemmed from the growing presence of these armed men in the region, coupled with rising tensions between them and local residents. It noted that villagers had reportedly expressed hostility toward the suspected armed elements, raising the risk of violent confrontation.
The intelligence report also referenced a history of violent activities by armed groups operating around the Kainji Lake National Park corridor, an area that has long been identified by security agencies as vulnerable due to its expansive forest cover and proximity to international borders.
“In view of the antecedents of armed groups around Kainji Lake National Park, there is a need to emplace necessary security measures to forestall any untoward development,” the DSS stated in the letter, urging the police to treat the information with urgency and implement preventive security strategies.
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The alert has intensified anxiety among residents of Baruten and surrounding communities, many of whom remain on edge following the recent Woro attack. Eyewitness reports from that incident indicated that attackers operated from forested areas spanning Kaiama and Baruten LGAs and extending toward the Benin Republic border, a route security officials have repeatedly described as porous and difficult to monitor.
In response to the escalating situation, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq convened an emergency security council meeting at the Ahmadu Bello House in Ilorin. The meeting brought together heads of security agencies in the state to review the current security landscape and coordinate a stronger response.
Governor AbdulRazaq said the session formed part of a broader, multi-layered strategy aimed at preventing further attacks and protecting lives and property across the state. Security commanders briefed the governor on recent developments and discussed measures to neutralise emerging threats.
Earlier, the governors of Kogi and Ekiti states, Usman Ododo and Biodun Oyebanji, joined AbdulRazaq in visiting victims of the Woro attack receiving treatment at the General Hospital in Ilorin. According to Oyebanji, the victims were in stable condition but remained under close medical observation.
Meanwhile, the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), a Yoruba socio-cultural group, has called on governors of the South-West region as well as Kwara and Kogi states to declare a state of emergency on security in response to the growing violence. The organisation made the call in a statement issued by the Chairman of Dr. Frederick Fasehun’s OPC Caretaker Committee, Kazeem Lawal.
The OPC described the recent killings in Kwara communities as deeply troubling and urged authorities to take decisive action to apprehend those responsible. The group called for stronger collaboration between federal and state governments and security agencies to address the threat posed by armed groups and criminal elements.
Lawal stressed that the scale of violence demanded urgent and coordinated intervention, warning against politicising the security crisis. He urged authorities to mobilise all available resources to identify, locate and apprehend perpetrators and prevent further attacks.
The organisation also emphasised the need for proactive security measures, including intelligence-driven operations and strengthened community protection strategies, to curb the activities of non-state actors threatening peace and stability in affected areas.
As security agencies continue to monitor the situation in Kwara North and surrounding regions, residents remain concerned about the possibility of further attacks. Authorities have reiterated their commitment to safeguarding communities and ensuring that those responsible for recent violence are brought to justice.