Ilorin, Kwara State — Outrage has continued to trail a full-page newspaper advertisement in which the Emir of Yashikira, Alhaji Umaru Usman Seriki Saabi Kpassi II, alongside other first-class traditional rulers in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq over the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election.

The advert, which congratulated the President and the Kwara State Governor for what it described as a “peaceful and successful” APC primary process that reportedly zoned the party’s governorship ticket to Baruten LGA, has sparked widespread criticism among residents and observers.

Many residents described the development as “laughable,” “insensitive,” and disconnected from the harsh realities facing communities in Kwara North, particularly amid growing insecurity, kidnappings, killings, and repeated attacks by armed groups.

The controversy became more intense due to the recent attack on the Emir of Yashikira’s palace by suspected bandits, during which members of the monarch’s immediate family, including his wives and children, were abducted.

According to reports, the attackers stormed Yashikira community in a coordinated midnight assault, invaded the police divisional headquarters and the Emir’s palace, abducted several residents, and reportedly set parts of the palace ablaze.

Residents questioned why traditional rulers would participate in political congratulatory campaigns while victims of insecurity remain in captivity and communities continue to live in fear.

“We know the government most likely sponsored the advert, but the traditional rulers should have rejected it at a sensitive moment like this,” a resident reportedly said.

“I am particularly disappointed in the Emir of Yashikira whose wives and children were kidnapped just days earlier. What kind of insensitivity is this?”

The attack on Yashikira community has further exposed the worsening security crisis in Baruten Local Government Area, a border region in Kwara North that shares boundaries with the Republic of Benin and has increasingly become vulnerable to attacks by kidnappers and armed groups.

Meanwhile, fresh criticism has also emerged against the governorship candidate of the APC in Kwara State and Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, who reportedly stayed away from his hometown, Gwanara, during the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations over fears of insecurity in the area.

Sources disclosed that Danladi remained in Ilorin, the state capital, where he observed Eid prayers alongside political associates instead of returning to Baruten to celebrate with residents amid the security crisis.

His absence has generated reactions among political observers and residents, many of whom accused political leaders in Kwara North of abandoning their communities during one of the most difficult periods in recent years.

Residents also faulted the Kwara State House of Assembly under Danladi’s leadership for allegedly failing to raise meaningful legislative concerns or interventions regarding the worsening insecurity across Kwara North Senatorial District.

“Since the crisis began about two years ago, the Kwara State House of Assembly has not raised a single serious motion condemning the attacks or proposing solutions,” a resident lamented.

The recurring attacks in Baruten and surrounding communities continue to heighten fears among residents, many of whom accuse both the state and federal governments of neglecting rural communities facing daily threats from terrorists, kidnappers, and armed bandits.