A coalition of Kwara youth organizations and the Arewa Youth Assembly gathered in Ilorin on Monday to publicly back President Bola Tinubu’s security measures in the state, centering their support on the newly created 9 Division of the Nigerian Army, headquartered in Ilorin with an additional formation in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area.
For the coalition’s president, Ibrahim Funsho Saadu, known widely as Funsho Layeri, the division represents something beyond a straightforward security upgrade. “When President Bola Tinubu approved the creation of the 9 Division of the Nigerian Army with its headquarters in Ilorin, he did something no other President has done. He saw our vulnerability and he responded with action,” he told the rally, describing the move as a direct response to long-standing security concerns among Kwara residents.
Saadu argued the benefits extend well past troop numbers, pointing to potential employment opportunities, improved investment conditions, and broader economic development that a permanent military presence could bring to the state. He also framed the division’s effectiveness as partly dependent on residents themselves, urging communities to cooperate with security personnel and share useful information, since, in his view, how well the military and local population work together will shape how much of that potential is realized.
Aliyu Muhammad, Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Youth Assembly, echoed that assessment while placing it within a wider national context. He commended Tinubu for expanding the Nigerian Army from eight to twelve divisions overall, alongside efforts to recruit additional personnel and improve welfare conditions for serving soldiers. According to Muhammad, the new division should strengthen command and control, reinforce border security, protect critical infrastructure, and speed up responses to emerging threats in the region.
He described the practical difference this could make in everyday terms. “Citizens will sleep better at night knowing that a whole Army Division is closer to them, farmers will go to their farms with greater confidence and children will attend school without fear,” he said, before repeating Saadu’s call for residents to support security agencies through intelligence-sharing and cooperation, describing security as a responsibility shared between the military and the public rather than one side’s job alone.
Both organizations closed the rally by pledging continued support and cooperation with the Nigerian Army and other security agencies, expressing confidence that the new division would translate into lasting peace and development for Kwara State. Saadu additionally praised Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Waidi Ibrahim Shuaibu and the Chief of Defence Staff for their broader efforts to strengthen the country’s security setup, and offered a direct word to the officer now leading the new division, urging him to maintain professionalism and live up to the confidence placed in him by both the presidency and military leadership.
