Residents of Kisi in Irepo Local Government Area in Oyo State have alleged that repeated appeals to the state government and local authorities over the activities of suspected terrorists operating within the area were ignored, despite growing fears that the criminals had established bases inside nearby forest reserves.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, several residents described a worsening security situation which they said had been building for months before the recent attacks that claimed lives and left several others injured.
According to the residents, the armed groups had long been moving freely across communities around Kishi, using forests and reserve areas as hideouts while residents repeatedly alerted government officials and security agencies about the threat.
"We have been shouting for a very long time," one resident told SaharaReporters.
"We informed the government, traditional leaders and security agencies that strange armed men were moving around our communities. We warned that they were gradually settling inside the reserve, but nobody appeared to take our concerns seriously."
