Staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kwara State have shut down operations in Patigi and Edu Local Government Areas following a spike in kidnappings and attacks by bandits.
Multiple security sources confirmed that intelligence operatives warned INEC workers to avoid the volatile communities, describing them as “soft victims” for bandits who have overrun the region.
“The INEC staff are scared; they don’t want to risk being kidnapped or attacked,” one top security officer disclosed, adding that Lade town in Patigi had already been deserted after repeated assaults by criminal gangs.
Another senior source noted that the abduction of electoral officials could cause “a monumental national embarrassment” and pile more pressure on the Tinubu administration.
Residents told reporters that INEC offices in both LGAs remain locked for most days, stalling the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise that began in August.
They expressed frustration that the halt was eroding confidence in government assurances on security.
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Some INEC staff also voiced fears that they were being abandoned without protection.
One worker revealed that the Commission’s chairman had warned there would be no ransom money if officials were abducted.
“We can’t risk our lives in the name of national service; there is no assurance of our safety,” he said. “The INEC chairman has said that he doesn’t have money to pay as ransom to any bandits.”
Community leaders in Patigi and Edu said they had quietly asked INEC workers to stay away to avoid bloodshed.
They insisted the worsening insecurity was robbing people of their democratic rights; “People are eager to register to vote and bring in a government that can guarantee their safety, but how can you risk going out to register when you’re not sure you’ll return home alive? The fear is real,” one leader lamented.
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Locals also accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of neglecting the crisis, pointing out that he has been travelling abroad instead of addressing the siege in Kwara North. “The governor is junketing around the world while Kwara is burning. Right now, we hear he is in the United States on vacation, and he has refused to hand over to his deputy. Everyone here is left to their fate,” a resident complained.
Despite the ongoing CVR exercise, observers warn that unless urgent security measures are taken, thousands of eligible voters in Kwara could be disenfranchised ahead of the 2027 elections.
When contacted, Kwara Resident Electoral Commissioner Dr. Hale Gabriel Longpet dismissed reports of staff abandoning their duty posts. He admitted there were initial security concerns on August 25, the first day of registration, but said police and civil defence personnel were deployed to provide cover.
“Since then, we have been conducting our registration. The turnout might be slow, but you know, when there is an atmosphere of insecurity, fear, and intimidation, people do not come to the centre in large numbers,” he said.
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