KWASU Relocates Staff, Students From Satellite Campus Over Insecurity

Kwara State University (KWASU) has ordered the relocation of staff and students from its Ilesha-Baruba satellite campus to the main campus in Malete, citing rising security concerns in the area. The university's Director of University Relations, Saeedat Aliyu, disclosed the decision in a statement, explaining that it was taken as a precautionary measure. She said university management visited the satellite campus in Baruten Local Government Area to personally inform affected staff and students of the move, advising them to relocate with only essential belongings while the institution works to secure alternative, safer accommodation. The evacuation followed a visit by KWASU Vice-Chancellor Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh to the campus on November 30, during which he assessed welfare conditions and facilities on the ground. The relocation is expected to remain in place until security in the area stabilises enough for normal academic activities to resume safely. The move comes amid a broader spike in banditry, kidnappings and violent crime across parts of Kwara State in recent weeks. In November, the state government ordered the closure of all schools in five local government areas — Ifelodun, Ekiti, Irepodun, Isin, and Oke Ero — as a protective measure, following a deadly gun attack on a Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Ekiti LGA, on November 18. Security operations across the state have since been ramped up, with officials pointing to the risk of armed groups using students as human shields or schools as escape routes. On November 25, the presidency ordered a full security cordon over forested areas in Kwara, with the Nigerian Air Force tasked with conducting round-the-clock aerial surveillance in coordination with ground troops to neutralise armed groups operating in the region.