How soldiers abandoned Kwara community during terror attack to extort N100 from motorists

Fresh allegations have emerged accusing soldiers stationed near Yashikira in Kwara State of failing to respond to a terrorist attack on the community while also engaging in alleged extortion at a checkpoint, claims the military is yet to publicly respond to.

Fresh claims have emerged over the security response to the recent terrorist attack on Yashikira in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, with a palace source accusing Nigerian soldiers stationed at a nearby checkpoint of abandoning the community during the assault while allegedly extorting motorists. The source, who spoke exclusively to SaharaReporters on Tuesday evening, alleged that troops stationed at Chikanda failed to respond to repeated distress calls from the Yashikira Emirate during the attack.

“And the soldiers who are stationed at the Chikanda refused to come for aide, saying they too are attacked, where it is a lie to run away from facing these terrorists,” the source said. The informant further claimed that the soldiers only arrived in the community hours after the attackers had left, adding: “It was later in the morning that they came, arriving only after the terrorists had already left.”

The source also accused the troops of neglecting their security duties and focusing on illegal revenue collection. “The soldiers are not ready to fight. They are only stationed at the checkpoint to be collecting N100 from the motorists that are passing by. They are busy doing that while the emirate was being attacked,” he alleged. The claims come amid wider controversy over the response of security agencies during the attack, where terrorists reportedly invaded the Emir’s palace, set parts of it ablaze and abducted several residents, while earlier reports also accused police officers of fleeing their post before the assault.

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