Lagos NDC senatorial aspirant condemns Kwara, Oyo attacks

Ladipo Johnson, a Lagos Central Senatorial aspirant for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has strongly condemned recent violent attacks in Kwara and Oyo states, characterizing them as clear indicators of escalating insecurity and governmental failure.

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The blood of the innocent is crying out from the soil of Kwara, just as it did only last week in Oyo State when bandits once again reminded us that no one is safe.

Johnson specifically decried the coordinated assaults on the Yashikira Emir’s Palace and the Yashikira Police Divisional Headquarters in Kwara State. He also pointed to the abduction of over 30 pupils in Oyo State and other incidents in Kwara, describing the situation as a "systemic collapse" of national security infrastructure. The aspirant argued that this pervasive insecurity directly contributes to economic hardship, citing a reported 150% increase in food prices at Lagos's Oyingbo Market and a 30-40% rise in logistics costs due to supply chain disruptions.

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This government’s ineptitude has turned the average Nigerian citizen into a pawn in a deadly game of survival. We are witnessing a systemic collapse where even police stations, the very symbols of state protection, are no longer sacrosanct.

"The blood of the innocent is crying out from the soil of Kwara, just as it did only last week in Oyo State when bandits once again reminded us that no one is safe," Johnson stated. He criticized the current government's "ineptitude," asserting that it has turned ordinary citizens into pawns in a struggle for survival and that even police stations, symbols of state protection, are no longer secure.

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We cannot continue to do the same thing and expect a different result.

Johnson attributed the security crisis to a lack of political will and proposed solutions including the immediate implementation of state and community policing, enhanced border surveillance, and the creation of a National Whistleblower Fund for security intelligence. He also advocated for stronger collaboration between defense industries and private technology firms. Johnson expressed his commitment, should he be elected to the Senate, to developing legislative frameworks that empower security agencies to be proactive rather than reactive.

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As I seek to represent the people of Lagos Central in the Senate, my priority will be the legislative framework that strips away the bottlenecks preventing our security agencies from being proactive rather than reactive.