Motorists in Osi and surrounding communities in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State have raised the alarm over alleged extortion by police officers deployed to combat banditry in the region.
The officers, who were reportedly assigned to tackle rising cases of kidnappings and armed attacks in parts of Kwara South, have instead been accused of using their presence to harass and extort money from road users.
In a video obtained online, police personnel stationed along the Osi–Eruku highway were seen stopping vehicles and demanding money from motorists.
The officers were reportedly operating with an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), which was meant to be used for anti-banditry patrols in the area.
In the footage, a visibly frustrated motorist narrated how the policemen had abandoned their core responsibility of securing the region from kidnappers and were instead preying on innocent travellers.
“They are assigned to fight kidnappers, but they are here collecting money from motorists,” the driver lamented.
“There is no day the kidnappers do not kill people in this area. Obo-Aiyegunle is there, Eruku is there — you don’t go there to face the terrorists, but you are here in the city collecting money from people.”
Residents and motorists who ply the route daily also confirmed that the police officers mounted several informal checkpoints, allegedly demanding money from each vehicle before allowing them to pass.
Some drivers said the refusal to comply often led to intimidation, seizure of vehicle keys, or prolonged delays.
Local traders and commuters expressed dismay that security personnel deployed to ensure their safety were now worsening their hardship.
They called on the Kwara State Commissioner of Police and the Inspector-General of Police to urgently intervene and redeploy the erring officers to the forest areas where bandits have been operating with increasing boldness.
On October 25, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that bandits once again struck along the Ilorin–Egbe highway, attacking a commercial bus travelling between Eruku and Egbe, a border area between Kwara and Kogi states.
A source who spoke to SaharaReporters had said the incident occurred when the bus was ambushed by heavily armed assailants who suddenly emerged from the bush and opened fire on the vehicle.
According to the source, the attackers appeared in large numbers and began shooting directly at him.
In a video obtained by the media, bullet holes were visible across the bus, with bloodstains on the driver’s side, indicating that he had been hit by a bullet during the assault.
It was gathered that the injured driver hails from Isanlu, while among the passengers were a man from Egbe and another yet-to-be-identified Hausa trader.
Residents of the area have called on the Chairman of Yagba East Local Government Area to urgently collaborate with his counterpart in Yagba West to take decisive action against the rising wave of banditry along the Kwara–Kogi border.
The highway, a major route connecting communities in both states, has witnessed repeated attacks in recent months, leaving travellers in constant fear.
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