Residents Alarmed As Truckloads Of Suspected Herders Flock To Kwara Border Communities For INEC Registration (Video)
Disturbing reports have surfaced from remote communities in Kaiama and Baruten Local Government Areas of Kwara State, where residents allege that truckloads of Fulani herders from different parts of Nigeria—and possibly from outside the country—are being transported to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) registration centres for voter registration.
Residents describe the ongoing mobilisation as massive and unprecedented, sparking concerns over possible political manipulation and security implications in the border regions.
Kaiama and Baruten LGAs, both Batonu-speaking areas, share a porous border with the Republic of Benin, making cross-border movements easy and difficult to monitor.
According to INEC, the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise began with online pre-registration on August 18, 2025, followed by in-person registration at local government offices and designated centres starting August 25, 2025.
However, the exercise is expected to run until August 30, 2026.
Meanwhile, multiple sources told SaharaReporters that, for several weeks, trucks have been seen offloading large numbers of Fulani herders at registration points across Kaiama and Baruten.
“They started bringing them about a month ago,” said one resident who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“We began noticing strange faces coming in groups to register for PVCs. We don’t know what’s going on, but it’s worrying. We have legitimate Fulani residents here, but how do we tell who’s local and who’s being brought in for other purposes?”
Another community source expressed frustration over the influx, calling it “an organised mobilisation effort that raises red flags about electoral integrity, local power plays, and possible demographic manipulation.”
Residents fear that the growing number of mobile herders registering in their localities could be linked to efforts to influence future elections, or, more dangerously, a prelude to land disputes and resource conflicts in the largely agrarian region.
Kwara State has, in recent years, grappled with worsening security challenges, including kidnapping, banditry, and herder–farmer clashes, particularly in its northern and southern hinterlands.
Several residents have accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of failing to address the insecurity and the influx of unidentified persons into the state.
An INEC staff member in Baruten, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said their duty is to register all eligible Nigerians who are residents or work within their local government areas.
“Under INEC guidelines, anyone registering must either live or work in the LGA. As long as the officers verify identity and residency properly, there shouldn’t be an issue,” the official said.
Still, locals insist that the scale and coordination of the ongoing voter registration drive in the border communities are so unusual as to be hard to ignore, and could have far-reaching consequences for the state’s political and security stability ahead of the 2027 general elections.
On September 9, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that the staff members of INEC in Patigi and Edu local government areas of the state had abandoned their duty posts and locked up their offices, citing the escalating wave of kidnappings and bandit attacks.
Top security sources told SaharaReporters that operatives in the intelligence community had advised INEC personnel to stay away from the volatile areas, warning that they could be targeted as “soft victims” by marauding bandits.
One of the sources disclosed that Lade town in Patigi LGA had been largely deserted due to repeated attacks by criminal groups.
“The INEC staff are scared. They don’t want to risk being kidnapped or attacked.”
Another senior source added that the abduction of INEC officials would not only cause a national embarrassment but also pile pressure on the Tinubu administration.
“The fear is that if INEC staff are kidnapped, it would not only be a monumental national embarrassment but would also put the Tinubu administration under intense pressure and scrutiny,” one of the sources said.
“The INEC staff are scared of being kidnapped or attacked. They were told to seek clearance from security agencies before going to their duty posts. Hence, if anything happens to them, they are on their own.”
Residents confirmed that INEC offices in both local government areas remained locked for most days of the week, frustrating the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise that commenced in August.
Many locals said the suspension of services had further eroded confidence in the government’s security promises.
Another staff member revealed that the INEC chairman had bluntly stated there would be no funds to pay ransom in the event of abductions.
WATCH: Residents Alarmed As Truckloads Of Suspected Fulani Herders Flock To Kwara Border Communities For INEC Registration pic.twitter.com/uRT63yiB7s
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) October 24, 2025
***
Source: SaharaReporters