The Indigenous People of Offa in Kwara State have urgently called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in what they describe as worsening insecurity and systemic marginalization under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration.
In an open letter signed by Alhaji Adisa Abdulkareem on behalf of Offa’s Ogala Compound, the community detailed the April 20, 2025 abduction of seven residents traveling from Abuja to Offa via the Obo-Ajegunle–Osi road. The letter expressed outrage at the state government’s apparent indifference:
“Since that day, they have neither returned nor has any governmental concern been shown. Not a press release, not a condolence, not a visit—nothing.”
The kidnappers initially demanded ₦140 million ransom, later negotiated down to ₦14 million plus additional items through community efforts. However, the captors reneged and reinstated their original demand, leaving the victims in captivity.
The community contrasted this neglect with the swift rescue of two Oke-Ero Local Government officials kidnapped just seven days later, who were freed within 72 hours through state intervention.
The letter further accused the administration of deliberately marginalizing Southern Kwara, particularly Offa, despite the region’s pivotal role in the #Otoge movement that brought the governor to power, “Since the inception of this administration in Kwara State, no single significant project has been executed in Southern Kwara. While Kwara Central boasts of monumental developments such as two overhead bridges, a state-of-the-art innovation hub, garment factory, and expansive road reconstruction projects, Southern Kwara has little or nothing to point at.”
Appealing directly to President Tinubu, the community pleaded, “We beg Your Excellency, as the father of the nation and the bearer of renewed hope, to help us ask Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq one question: Why does our pain mean nothing?”
The petition calls for federal intervention to address security lapses and ensure equitable development, emphasizing Offa’s right to equal treatment as Kwara citizens. This outcry comes despite President Tinubu’s signing of a record N54.99 trillion 2025 budget, raising questions about implementation at grassroots levels.
