The Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity (CCDI) has strongly condemned the killing of at least ten people, including the village head (Baale), in Oke-Ode, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, in the early hours of Sunday.

In a statement issued by its President, Olufemi Aduwo, the Centre described the attack as another grim reminder of the worsening security situation across the country.

“It is unacceptable that defenceless citizens are being slaughtered daily while the perpetrators continue to operate with impunity,” the statement read.

The CCDI noted that while the military continues to make gallant efforts on multiple fronts, they are clearly overstretched, leaving many communities vulnerable to repeated attacks.

The organisation recalled that months earlier, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) had advised communities to take responsibility for their own security amid persistent banditry.

“In line with this, CCDI strongly encourages communities to organise themselves for self-protection, within the bounds of the law, as waiting endlessly for overstretched security agencies has proved fatal,” the statement added.

The Centre urged the Federal and Kwara State Governments to take decisive action beyond rhetoric, including supporting local defence initiatives, providing immediate relief to victims’ families, and ensuring that justice is served without delay.

“Nigeria cannot continue on this tragic path where human lives are taken with reckless abandon. A government that cannot guarantee the safety and security of its citizens is failing in its primary constitutional duty. The time for rhetoric is over; the time for decisive, coordinated action is now,” the statement concluded.