Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has called for increased security deployments to the state to flush out criminals responsible for recent attacks in parts of Kwara.

In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, following an attack on forest guard positions and surrounding areas of Oke Ode, the Governor said the state requires additional military presence to roll back criminal activities in parts of Kwara South and Kwara North.

He expressed regret over the loss of innocent civilians and forest guards, who mounted a spirited resistance against the assailants during the early morning incident, driven by patriotism and love for their communities.

"My heartfelt condolences go to the families. No word can adequately capture the depth of my sadness, and nothing can compensate the bereaved families for these tragedies despite our efforts and the investments made in enlisting and training forest guards to bolster conventional security forces. Our people are understandably concerned about the situation, and I wholeheartedly share in this grief," the Governor said in the statement issued on Sunday.

"While we appreciate the efforts and unquantifiable sacrifices of the security forces as well as the successes so far, we definitely need to do a lot more until we are completely out of the woods.

"Finally, I urge our brave residents to remain calm and avoid the temptation to turn on ourselves. I equally commend all the forest guards and the local hunters who, though they lost five of their compatriots, equally neutralised several of the attackers. We will forever be grateful to all of them as our heroes, " the governor expressed.

The Army Headquarters, meanwhile, has directed the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division of the Nigerian Army in Ibadan, to immediately relocate to Kwara to further coordinate and boost military response to the development.