Kwara Traders Brutalized, Extorted N10,000 by Armed Unit Deployed to Curb Roadside Hawking
Armed security operatives deployed by Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to stop roadside trading in Ilorin have been accused of brutalizing traders and extorting N10,000 from each arrested seller.
The operatives, part of a joint task force known as Operation Harmony, comprise soldiers, Nigerian Army, and Civil Defence Corps personnel.
According to traders, the security agents have been arresting and beating elderly women selling vegetables and other goods, dragging them like thieves, and demanding N10,000 for their release. Many of the targeted traders are poor women who live on meager daily profits, often not exceeding a few thousand naira.
The traders have accused the Kwara State government of weaponizing security operatives against the poor under the guise of enforcing a roadside hawking ban. They claim that the government has not provided alternative stalls for them to sell their goods, instead sending soldiers and civil defense personnel to beat them up and collect bribes.
The Operation Harmony security unit was created to maintain peace and combat violent crimes across Kwara State. However, traders say it has become a revenue-collection machine, targeting the weakest and poorest citizens.
According to reports, security operatives often brutalize journalists who visit the market for coverage, fearing exposure of their illegal activities.
