MAHMUDA: How Bandit Network Rose From Preaching To Terror In Kwara  *Exclusive interview with stakeholders  * Ex- lawmaker describes police denial of security breach in Baruten-Kaiama irresponsible, proffers solution 

By Omowumi Omotoso

 

 

 

Once a quiet corner of Kwara State, the border communities of Baruten and Kaiama are now under siege. What began as sporadic clashes in the dense forests of Kainji has evolved into a full-blown security crisis, thanks to the rise of a deadly bandit group known as the Mahmuda Network—a shadowy organization whose roots trace back to religious evangelism but have since grown into violence, extortion, and displacement.

The group announced its bloody presence most recently on Sunday with coordinated attacks on Ilesha Baruba and Kemanji, leaving seven dead and dozens wounded. But behind the bloodshed lies a deeper story—one shaped by porous borders, failed governance, and a dangerous vacuum of state presence.

•A Market, a Forest, and a Crisis in Waiting

A local stakeholder in Ilesa-Baruba, who spoke to National Pilot on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the roots of the crisis date back to theestablishment of the International Cattle Market in the area. The market, which operates every Monday and Thursday, attracts traders and different kinds of people from neighboring countries such as Niger Republic and Burkina Faso.

The stakeholder noted that due to the heavy traffic during market days, the local vigilante group is responsible for providing security for traders. The victim of the recent attack in Ilesa-Baruba according to the stakeholder was a vigilante member who had previously led an operation against the Mahmuda group in the Kanji forest. The attack on him was said to be a retaliation.

“The vigilante group had previously attacked the Mahmuda group, and in response, the bandits traced one of the vigilante leaders to Ilesa-Baruba and attacked him during the market day, which led to lot of casualties,” the source said.

Alhaji Ja’awire, leader of the local vigilante shot dead by the bandits in their reprisal attack last weekend 

• A Six-Year Infiltration

National Pilot investigation reveal that the Mahmuda group has operated silently for over six years, hidden in the vast Kanji forest, part of the Kainji Lake National Park—a remote sanctuary spanning over 5,000 square kilometers across Kwara, Niger, and Kebbi States.

Sources disclosed that the group initially emerged as a religious sect that delivered sermons based on their version of Islam. Over time, the group began recruiting young people from rural communities as fighters and informants. They were said to have taken control of parts of the forest after chasing out the range guards stationed at the national park.

Other people shot dead by the bandits at Ilesa-Baruba last weekend

Residents of the affected communities in Baruten and Kaiama LGAs disclosed that the Mahmuda group has been terrorizing villages such as Kemanji, Tenebo, Baabete, Nuku, and Nanu. The group’s activities have also been reported in Babana and Wawa districts of Borgu LGA in Niger State.

Locals say the group has been involved in kidnappings, killings, and general banditry in the area. The failure to act early, according to the locals, allowed the Mahmuda network to entrench itself in the region and expand its operations.

•’They Must Be Deleted’ –  Ex-Lawmaker Lament

In an exclusive telephone interview with National Pilot on Wednesday, a former member of the House of Representatives who represented Baruten/Kaiama Federal Constituency, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, delivered a passionate and unfiltered assessment of the crisis. He did not mince words saying: “The Borgu Game Reserve is very wide. It spans between Baruten, Kaiama, Borgu, and even some parts of the Republic of Benin. It is very difficult to cover because of the terrain. People go there to fish and hunt. Locals have always clashed with these people from time to time. But now, the group has come out fully and made their agenda very plain.”

He continued: “They are a real threat to our people’s livelihoods. Our people are mostly farmers, hunters, and traders. These are lucrative commercial ventures. But now these bandits are preventing them from doing any of that.”

“What the government needs to do at the very least is create a military barracks around that area. Either that or they should clear the land and secure it for the locals to farm. The Federal Government needs to take this seriously. Even the animals in the game reserve are becoming extinct. These people are cutting logs and selling them off. They are just criminals and miscreants that need to be deleted.”

Hon. Zakari Mohammed 

 

When asked about the role of state security agencies, Mohammed expressed deep frustration: “I was shocked when I heard that the Kwara State Police Command said nothing is happening. That is the highest form of irresponsibility. How can you say that when lives are being lost? Whoever said that must be sanctioned. They are supposed to be on top of their intelligence gathering.”

“Our people’s means of livelihood is being destroyed, and we need military presence immediately. The closest barracks we have are in Saki and New Bussa. Just a few weeks ago, the military dislodged them and now they are taking revenge on local communities.”

“The local vigilantes are doing their best, but how sustainable is that? How long can we leave this responsibility on ordinary people without proper arms or resources? This is a ticking time bomb, and unless something is done fast, more innocent people will die.”

Mohammed also highlighted the grassroots efforts currently underway to sustain security:

“Presently, meetings are going on, stakeholders are meeting, and of course, people are contributing to sustain the vigilante group with some arms and welfare. The local government chairman and the state government have to sit up. The vigilante in Baruten, with adequate support, would do a lot to secure Baruten because they know the terrain well. A collaborative effort between the local vigilante and the military would go a long way to secure the Baruten axis.”

•A Community on the Run

In a separate interview with National Pilot on Wednesday, a prominent political leader from Kaima, who did not want his name in print, delivered an emotionally and detailed account of the unfolding tragedy in Kaiama and its surrounding communities:

” The situation is getting out of hand. It’s getting out of hand because there is no day that we don’t record one or two killings in the local government”

Speaking passionately, he described a community under siege, where fear has forced residents to abandon their livelihoods and homes stating: “Today, nobody can go to farm. In the whole of that community, in the whole of that Kemaji axis, nobody can go to farm. Everybody is, in fact, deserting his or her own livelihood. The people have left the community — they are all in Kaima now. Those in that other axis, most of them are either traveling to the Republic of Benin or to even travel to other parts of the state”

The crisis, he said, has been festering for over six years, with its roots traceable to a group that initially claimed they came to “preach Islam” and support local development.

“They claimed that they came in there to preach Islam and that when they came, they assisted the community in so many areas where there is no government presence. They have given them empowerment, they have given them schools. That is what they claim. We don’t know,” he said.

However, what began as a seemingly charitable mission has taken a dark turn.

“We don’t know how they got the area they are staying. We don’t know who gave them the permission because we know it is a federal government national park. Nobody goes in there to even farm, fish, or hunt without government permission. How did they get to that place?,” he queried.

Describing a slow but deliberate takeover, he recounted how the group began controlling access to the forest.

“They started by asking people to take permission from them to cut trees. Then to farm. Then they demanded money. Gradually, they have overtaken the place. They extended to our people’s farmlands and even asked⁸ them to leave. That was how it started,” he explained.

The community, after reporting to government authorities with no result, resorted to self-help.

“They are recruiting vigilantes. But how can vigilantes using local dane guns face those holding AK-47s? That’s why the people have to fortify themselves. If not, the entire community would have been wiped out

“Everybody is contributing money to assist the vigilante with arms and ammunition because you can’t go to farm. Villagers are abandoning their farmlands and taking refuge in Kaiama town. It’s a very terrible situation,” he added.

Questioning the commitment of security agencies, the leader asked pointedly: “Can the police go to Kemaji today? Do they even have police posts there? Every day, the reports are going to them. So, I am surprised that the police will come out to deny this. There are video clips.”

He also expressed frustration at the government’s response: “Even the governor went there. But instead of going to the epicenter of the crisis, he stopped in Kaima. He only went to Kaima, not Kemaji.”

Recalling a short-lived military intervention, he noted: “There was a time that the military went into the forest. We thought they would stay and flush out the bandits. But after two weeks, they came out and left. Whether they are coming back, we don’t know.”

In his view, only one solution remains: “The only permanent solution is to bring the military to go in there and flush them out. There must be government presence in that national park — whether it’s an army barracks or something else — because the place is too large.”

He warned that the national park, which spans Kebbi, Niger, Kwara states and even into Benin Republic, must not remain unmonitored.

“How do you allow a place to remain like that without any activities? Criminals will go in there and hide. And when they hide, it becomes a permanent abode,” he said.

•‘We Promise You Crisis’: The Bandits’ Chilling Warning

Earlier in the week, the Mahmuda group sent an audio message in Hausa to residents of Duruma village, warning of a violent onslaught on the community and the entire Borgu Kingdom.

In the audio, the group’s leader condemned the formation of local vigilante units and directly threatened the Emir of Duruma and his people.

“This is a message; a warning to the people of Duruma village, the Emir of Duruma, and the illiterate vigilantes who are causing the chaos. Their actions pose a significant danger to their lives, and this crisis serves as a forewarning of what may happen in the future,” the speaker said.

Claiming they had previously lived peacefully in the region since arriving five years ago, the group’s leader said recent developments had forced them to retaliate.

“Since our arrival in Duruma over five years ago, we have not hurt anyone or carried arms against anybody. However, since you people now prefer crisis to peace, we promise you people that you will get the crisis,” he said.

The voice message further warned residents to evacuate immediately or face death, accusing them of recruiting vigilantes and aiding security forces.

“Stop going to the market, and in fact, relocate from the entire kingdom; otherwise, we will kill everyone we see,” the speaker declared. The message also included threats to smugglers in the area, warning them to avoid the region or face deadly consequences.

In the wake of the escalating threat, residents in affected communities are fleeing in droves. Multiple sources confirmed to the National Pilot that the Nigerian Army had withdrawn from active operations in the forested regions, leaving only local vigilante groups to defend against the well-armed insurgents.

“As I’m talking to you, Kemanji is under the control of these people. They haven’t reached Kaiama town yet, but this is how it started in Sokoto and Kebbi” a resident disclosed.

Both rich and poor residents are reportedly abandoning their homes, with some relocating to Kaiama town and others fleeing as far as Ilorin.

Another resident lamented, “The Army has not returned since the Ramadan raid. Only vigilantes are defending us. We have soldiers in Kaiama and Baruten, but they are not deployed to the forest anymore.”

•Government Response: Too Little, Too Late?

On April 22, 2025, the Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, led a delegation that comprised top military and intelligence chiefs to visit Kaiama to assess the security concerns and reinforce inter-agency collaboration across border communities.

Speaking during the “strategic security interface” with the Emir of Kaiama, Alh Muazu Shehu Omar, and other critical stakeholders, the governor noted that the recent incident was a reprisal attack by non-state actors targeting vigilantes.

He assured the public that the state government was working closely with the military and other relevant agencies to restore peace and dislodge terrorist elements from the affected areas.

“What we are seeing today is the non-state actors targeting the vigilantes in a reprisal attack and this will come to pass. This is because we are working with the military who have visited the place, made contact and had robust engagement,” the governor said.

•Army Chief Sets One-Month Deadline to Eliminate Kwara Bandits

As the banditry activity came plain in Baruten and Kama Local Government Areas of Kwara State, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has given troops a 30-day deadline to flush out bandits from the state. The army chief issued the directive during a visit to Sobi Barracks in Ilorin on Wednesday, where he addressed soldiers stationed in the state.

Oluyede called for swift and decisive action to secure the two local government areas currently facing bandit threats. His message was clear: banditry must not be allowed to fester or spread within Kwara or to any other part of Nigeria.

He further declared that the nation would not tolerate the emergence of any security crisis resembling the Boko Haram insurgency in any part of the country.

“So, you’re out here and I know you can do it to make sure those people (bandits) leave that place for us

“If they want to enter another country, that is their business, but you must push them out of those forests so we will not have another set of Boko Baram disturbing us here.

“In the next one month, I don’t want to see any footprints of those criminals within that Kainji Dam

“I can tell you, in the next one month, things will be different. What is happening in Kwara cannot be threatening the sanity in Nigeria generally; it’s just an isolated case and we’ll deal with it directly,” the army chief said.

With the clock ticking the next 30 days for the people of Baruten, Kaiama and Kwara State at large, will determine whether peace returns as a promise fulfilled or remains a distant hope.