The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has accused South-West governors of ignoring repeated security proposals and intelligence reports warning of terrorist infiltration across the region, following the recent abduction of students and teachers in Oyo State.
Adams made the allegations while reacting to Friday’s attack on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where gunmen reportedly killed two persons and abducted teachers and students.
According to him, intelligence gathered by his network over the past two years identified at least 40 local government areas in the South-West allegedly infiltrated by terrorists.
“We have 137 local government areas in the South-West, and we spotted not remnants of terrorists, but a lot of terrorists in no fewer than 40 local governments,” Adams said. “We documented everything and sought collaboration with state governments, but there was no meaningful engagement.”
The Yoruba leader said his office had consistently raised alarms since 2022 about the movement of armed groups into the region from neighbouring states, particularly Kogi and Kwara, warning that the threat had gradually spread into Oyo, Ondo and Ekiti states.
He cited the killing of a traditional ruler in Ondo State earlier this year and recent attacks in parts of Ibadan as indications that armed groups were expanding their operations in the South-West.
Adams warned that Lagos could also become a target if urgent action was not taken.
“Three days ago, I got information about an influx of terrorists into a cattle market after the Lagos boundary into Ogun State,” he said. “Their target is Lagos and they are looking for ways to strike simultaneously across South-West states.”
The former leader of the Oodua People’s Congress maintained that local hunters and vigilante groups could play a stronger role in combating insecurity if properly coordinated and legally empowered.
He argued that the regional security outfit, Amotekun Corps, lacked the operational strength to confront heavily armed criminal groups because its personnel were not permitted to carry sophisticated weapons.
“If Amotekun personnel were allowed to carry superior weapons and there was proper collaboration with regional security stakeholders, the situation would be different,” he said.
Adams said the South-West Security Stakeholders’ Group under his leadership comprises 14 organisations, including the OPC, Agbekoya Society, Vigilante Group of Nigeria and professional hunters’ associations, all with grassroots structures across the region.
According to him, poor coordination by political office holders has weakened local security responses.
“Some local government chairmen just gather hunters and OPC members, give them patrol vehicles and expect results without engaging the leadership structures of these organisations,” he said.
On reports that one abducted teacher was beheaded during the Oyo attack, Adams described the killing as a deliberate message by terrorists seeking to instil fear across Yorubaland.
He linked the attacks to porous border communities around Ogbomoso, Igboho and Igbeti, which share boundaries with Kwara State and the Benin Republic.
“These terrorists are trained in guerrilla warfare. They strike and disappear, making it difficult to identify their bases,” he said.
Adams also alleged that some locals might be collaborating with the attackers by providing intelligence and logistical support.
“It is a coordinated operation. Before they strike, they study the area for months using local informants,” he added.
Despite mounting calls for ethnic militias and vigilante groups to confront the attackers directly, Adams said such operations could not be carried out without the approval of state authorities.
“You cannot move hundreds of armed men into a state without the knowledge of the governor and security agencies,” he said. “If we act outside the law, our members could be arrested and charged.”
He, however, declared that regional groups were ready to support security operations if officially invited by South-West governors.
“The structure is there and our members are ready,” he said. “But we are waiting for the governors to give the green light.”
Adams further criticised what he described as the lack of seriousness shown by political leaders toward traditional institutions on security matters.
He recalled that South-West monarchs organised a security summit in Ile-Ife two years ago, but said only one deputy governor attended.
“The traditional rulers are trying to help preserve the region, but governments are not listening enough,” he said.
On the debate over state police, Adams questioned why the initiative had yet to materialise despite repeated assurances from President Bola Tinubu.
He argued that state policing remained one of the most viable solutions to the growing insecurity in the country.
“The South-West is the economic nerve centre of Nigeria,” he said. “If insecurity overwhelms this region the way it has affected parts of the North-East and North-West, the economic consequences for the country will be severe.”
He urged authorities at all levels to adopt a coordinated approach involving traditional rulers, local security groups and formal law enforcement agencies to prevent further attacks.