SPECIAL REPORT: Babanla: How Kwara’s Forest Communities Are Emerging From the Shadow of Banditry
On the winding laterite road leading into Babanla, the landscape tells its own story long before any interview begins.
From Oke-ode, the asphalt remains relatively smooth, a quiet testament to government attention and ongoing road construction. However, we then encounter sections with fractures, potholes, and uneven stretches that slow every movement toward Shagbe and deeper into some communities in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Yet, it is not the road alone that signals arrival into a troubled frontier — it is the security architecture that gradually unfolds.
At intervals along the route, vigilantes in mismatched uniforms, Nigeria Civil Defence operatives (NSCDC), and police personnel stand alert at makeshift checkpoints. Some lean on rifles, others scan passing vehicles with the strong and agile of men who have spent too many nights staring into forests that do not easily give up their secrets.
Further ahead, abandoned or partially deserted settlements break the rhythm of habitation. In some villages, only a handful of residents remain — elderly men seated under trees, women tending small farms, children peering cautiously at strangers.
Then, almost abruptly, life resumes. By the time Babanla appears in view, the contrast is unmistakable: a community that once slipped into silence is slowly rediscovering its voice.
A Child Under the Shea Tree
Under the wide shade of a shea butter tree overlooking the palace courtyard, young Lekan sits beside his mother, his small frame still and observant.
His attention is fixed on a tripod, a foreign object in his world — as my camera operator and I move around the dusty square of Babanla. He points at it excitedly, tugging at his mother’s wrapper.
For a child who should be thinking only of play, Lekan has already learned the language of absence.
Only months earlier, armed bandits stormed his community, forcing families into the bush, shutting down his school, and turning familiar paths into corridors of fear. The laughter that once defined childhood in Babanla vanished almost overnight.
Today, Lekan smiles again — but his story carries a weight no child should bear. His experience mirrors Babanla itself: a community learning, cautiously, how to breathe again.
Residents describe Babanla today as a place suspended between recovery and memory. Markets have reopened, though not at full strength. Children have begun returning to school. Farmers have resumed work on the outskirts, but the deeper forests once the lifeline of timber traders and hunters — remain largely inaccessible.
“We no longer sleep carelessly,” one resident says quietly. “There is patrol everywhere now — military, vigilantes, and our own people watching over us.”
The presence of security forces is visible at almost every turn. Military personnel have established operational bases in strategic locations, while local vigilantes and forest guards, trained and deployed by the Kwara State Government, maintain daily patrols along high-risk corridors.
The State Government, under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has expanded logistics support to security agencies, including mobility assets and coordination through relevant security structures at the state level, reinforcing joint operations across vulnerable communities. But despite the visible calm, the history still fresh in memory.
“They Came at Night” — The King Speaks
Inside the palace, the traditional ruler of Babanla,His Royal Highness, Oba Aliyu Adegboyega Alabi Yusuf Arojojoye II, speaks with the calm authority of someone who has lived through the breaking point of his community.
“When the bandits entered here on August 8 last year, about five people were killed,” he recalls.
“They destroyed the market, took goods, and even stole about 15 motorcycles. Many surrounding villages were also affected. Some people were kidnapped, and 5 people were killed.”
The attack, he told PRNigeria that, did not only destroy lives, it dismantled the economic rhythm of the community. Markets collapsed. Farms were abandoned. Entire villages almost emptied out of fear. But he is quick to acknowledge the turning point.
“Immediately after the incident, soldiers came in and they have remained here till now,” the monarch says. “That is why people are returning gradually.”
He also highlights the role of the local government and state authorities in stabilising the area, alongside community-driven efforts.
Youth groups, he explains, now regularly repair damaged roads and clear bushes along vulnerable routes to prevent ambush points.
“We even contribute money as a community to support local security operations,” he adds. “We are doing everything possible to ensure peace remains.”
Still, he warns that danger has not disappeared entirely. “The only problem now is the road linking us to other communities like Oko-Ode and Oreke. Kidnappers still use those forest routes,” he says.
The Chief Imam’s Ordeal in Captivity
For Lawal Sharafdeen, Chief Imam of Babanla, the story of insecurity is not distant to him, it is personal. He survived eight days in captivity after being abducted alongside others.
“They came out from the bush, about 16 of them with eight motorcycles,” he recalls. “They collected our motorcycles and took us into the forest.”
The journey into captivity lasted hours.
“We moved from around 6 p.m. and got to their camp around 11 p.m. We were riding nonstop inside the forest.”
At the camp, life was dictated entirely by armed captors. “Sometimes we ate once a day, sometimes not at all. We were tied day and night,” he says. He describes a large, organised network of armed groups capable of rapid mobilisation.
“Sometimes when they go on operation, you see about 100 motorcycles leaving at once,” he says.
One memory still lingers in our minds, the sound of aircraft overhead. “When they hear fighter jets, they tie us with chains and run into different parts of the forest. They say if bombs kill us, they will kidnap more people.”
“We spent 8 days in captivity after an ₦8 million ransom was paid for the release of 5 of us from the Babanla community.
The timber sawmill worker, explained to PRNigeria that the abductors demanded more than cash. In addition to the ransom, they received recharge cards worth ₦150,000, face caps, power banks, and other items. According to him, the payment was made in two installments. For the second installment, the families also provided ₦100,000 in recharge cards, 8 gallons of petrol, a Samsung phone valued at ₦350,000, and assorted soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.
The victim said the captors appeared to be targeting community leaders. He recalled being asked if he was the Chief Imam of Babanla. After he confirmed, one of the gunmen, who transported him by motorcycle, pressed further to know if he was the Imam of the central mosque.
“They told us this is the only job they do, and that they are in Nigeria specifically to carry out these abductions,” he said.
He also revealed that his brother had been kidnapped a few days before him. He acted as the family’s negotiator and said ₦10 million was paid for the release of three victims. He was abducted on a Monday, while his brother was released the following Sunday.
The victim further alleged that the kidnappers receive steady logistical support, including food and drinks, with supplies reportedly coming with ease from Lata community in Patigi Local Government Area.
The Local Government Response
The Executive Chairman of Ifelodun Local Government Area, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Femi Yusuf, while speaking to PRNigeria describes Babanla’s crisis as the outcome of years of gradual infiltration of vast ungoverned forest spaces.
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“What you are seeing today is the manifestation of issues that have built up over 10 to 15 years,” he says.
According to him, the geography of the area, a vast forest corridor stretching toward Kogi State has long provided cover for criminal groups.“These ungoverned spaces are larger than some states in Nigeria,” he explains.
He details the government’s response:
– Distribution of over 40 motorcycles to security formations and vigilantes
– Deployment of 211 trained forest guards across vulnerable communities
– Strengthening of local vigilante patrols
– Collaboration with police, NSCDC, DSS, and military formations
“We are working closely with all security agencies,” he says. “We are not claiming victory yet. It is still a work in progress.”
He also acknowledges the logistical support of the Kwara State Government, which has continued to reinforce local security capacity through training, equipment, and coordination structures involving state-level security stakeholders.
Police Command: “We Are in Control of the Situation”
The Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, CP Adekimi Ojo, offers a broader security assessment. He describes Babanla and surrounding forests as part of a wider trans-border criminal corridor stretching through Kwara, Kogi, Niger, and Ekiti States.
According to him, coordinated operations involving the police, military, DSS, and local security groups have significantly disrupted criminal activity.
“Babanla now has a military base,” he says. “We have neutralised several camps and recovered arms, including AK-47 rifles and ammunition.”
He dismisses exaggerated narratives circulating on social media. “Security is often misrepresented online. Many of the reports are not accurate or are exaggerated,” he warns.
He emphasizes intelligence sharing from local communities as a key factor in recent successes. “Communities are now giving us credible information. Without that trust, we cannot succeed.”
A Community Between Fear and Recovery
Walking through Babanla reveals a community in transition. Some villages before Babanla were deserted, and houses remain abandoned. Yet in other parts, life is returning — women selling goods, children walking to school, and farmers cautiously resuming work.
The sound of motorcycles has returned, though not in the deep forest corridors where timber traders once operated freely. Security presence remains constant — a visible reminder that peace is relatively returned.
Voices of Return
Residents like Salihu Yusuf and Alabi Bolakale describe a community attempting to rebuild livelihoods despite constraints.
“We cannot enter the forest freely anymore,” Bolakale, a timber trader says. “That is where we used to work.” Yusuf also adds: “We are begging the government to help secure the bush so we can return to our normal work.”
Youth groups have also taken up responsibility for basic infrastructure repairs and night patrols, filling gaps where formal security cannot always reach.
The Military Speaks
In the forest-fringed communities stretching across Kaiama, Edu and Patigi axes, military authorities say the security situation is gradually shifting, even if the threat has not been fully eliminated.
Brigadier-General Nicholas Rume, Commander of the 22 Armoured Brigade, told PRNigeria that the theatre remains a two-pronged conflict involving extremist elements around the Kainji Lake axis and armed bandit groups operating through Kwara South’s dense forests.
He noted that while earlier operations under “Savannah Shield” pushed criminals out of several villages between October and December last year, setbacks still occur due to terrain advantage, delayed intelligence, and forest cover that allows attackers rapid escape.
He explained that localized hotline systems and forward patrol bases have improved response time and helped foil kidnappings, though late reporting from communities remains a major limitation. He also confirmed instances of ambushes on troops during rapid response missions, stressing that operations now increasingly rely on coordination with the Air Force, which he described as “consistently responsive” in providing aerial support across Edu axis operations.
On inter-agency coordination, the commander said synergy with the DSS, police and other security agencies remains largely effective, though the biggest gap is “real-time human intelligence from communities on ground movement.”
The Air Force Support
If ground intelligence is uneven, air support has become a decisive factor.
The Brigade Commander was emphatic about one point: the Nigerian Air Force has been consistent. “Perfect. I have no complaints. Anytime I call them, weather permitting, they respond.
In one ongoing operation, he revealed, air assets were already overhead within 24 hours of request. “Right now, somewhere in Edu, the Air Force is supporting our troops from above.”
Air power, in this context, is not just firepower it is surveillance, deterrence, and mobility amplification in a terrain where ground movement is slow and risky.
If the military provides force, the Kwara State Government provides financial and logistical backbone.
State Government Logistics and Political Support
Speaking through the Permanent Secretary, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Mamman Saba Jibril, said the state has painted a picture of sustained institutional backing.
Security, he stressed, is constitutionally on the federal exclusive list. But in practice, Kwara has been supplementing federal deployments with monthly funding support.
Jibril, represented by Permanent Secretary, General Services, Alhaji Shuaib Abdulganiyu Yitta, “The governor has been releasing funds every month for almost two years,” he said.
The support covers feeding, allowances, logistics, and operational costs for deployed troops in Kaiama, Edu, Patigi and other flashpoints. The police, DSS, and other agencies also receive operational funding support from the state.
For example, he noted, funds for police deployments are released monthly based on IG-approved special teams operating in the state.
Even intelligence-driven deployments, including drone surveillance operations, have received state logistical backing. “We ensure enabling environment for them,” he said.
He noted that the state has established a security strategy committee made up of retired senior security officers to develop long-term solutions, while stressing that insecurity in Kwara is fuelled by cross-border movements from neighbouring states and the exploitation of forest reserves as hideouts.
Both officials agreed that while progress has been made in reducing large-scale village attacks, the threat remains fluid, requiring stronger intelligence sharing, community vigilance, and sustained multi-agency coordination.
Peace Still Under Construction
Despite improvements claimed by both military and state actors reduced village raids, disrupted camps, and increased arrests no one in the system declares victory.
The Commander was cautious. He said: “I do not think we are returning to the pre-October situation. But criminality will always exist.”
The state official was equally measured. “These groups move. They adapt. Our job is to stay ahead.
As we spent time in Babanla, the palace courtyard slowly empties. The shea tree casts longer shadows, and children begin drifting home. Lekan remains for a while longer, still watching the unfamiliar tripod being dismantled. His world has not fully healed but it is no longer silent.
Babanla is not yet a story of victory. It is a story of recovery under construction held together by military presence, local vigilance, government intervention, and the stubborn resilience of a community that refuses to disappear.
The forest still watches. But so does Babanla. And this time, Babanla is watching back.
Abdulsalam is a Senior Correspondent with PRNigeria. He has covered defence, security, and anti-corruption for over 7 years. He can be reached at: [email protected]
