From Ilorin
The Kwara Development Foundation,(KWADEF) has condemned the arson and looting of public and private assets which swept through Ilorin, the Kwara State capital over the weekend.
The Foundation also took exception to the subsequent politicization of the dastardly acts of lawlessness by a section of the elite and sued for peace to allow for the much needed development in the state.
The group in a statement signed by its President, Dr. Kolawole Afolabi and Publicity Secretary, Oluwasegun Abifarin recalled that in the early hours of Friday, youths in their hundreds stormed a warehouse where the COVID-19 palliatives were kept by the State government.
It noted after the youth proceeded to invade and loot private businesses.
“We condemn the actions of the hoodlums, and those already arrested should face the full weight of the law.
” We also commend the security agencies for acting with restraint in the face of provocation by the hoodlums. We will not support anyone or group hiding under any guise to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere in the state.” It said.
The group maintained that the assertion by some political elite in the state, justifying the arson and looting on the basis of hunger in the land, was regrettable and remained a dangerous politics of playing to the gallery in the face of current national challenges facing the nation.
“There is no amount of hunger that can justify and act of criminality which the looting of private and public assets represents,” the group insisted.
Kwadef also commended the gesture by the governor to set aside N500 Million fund to be accessed by victims of the arson and looting.
“We commend the governor and stand in solidarity with the people of Kwara State in this challenging moment. This is not the time to play politics. It is a time for all hands to be on deck,” it added.
The group also maintained that the event of the recent days also present an opportunity for the political leadership in the country to address the socio-political dislocations fuelling the various agitations across the country.
“The state of security in the past few days has been challenging as we are still struggling to come to terms with the horror that befell our beloved country,” Kwadef maintained.
The Reporters reports that Foundation, KWADEF is a non-partisan group of committed patriots and its intervention is on Kwara and Kwarans, in the collective struggle to chart a new path to prosperity and happiness.
It also intervene and gives direction to the people of the state in the collective march toward the much-desired Promise Land,”where the long lost milk and honey will be found in an atmosphere of shared prosperity for all our people.”
The Reporters recalls that no fewer than 144 suspects were paraded at the police headquarters, Ilorin on Monday, for looting and destruction of public and private property in the recent #Endsars induced crisis in Ilorin, the state capital.
