The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has called for stronger security measures across the South-West following a series of kidnappings and violent attacks in the region, including the recent abduction of 10 travellers along the Ijebu-Ode–Ibadan Road in Ogun State.
In a statement issued in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Wednesday, the organisation’s National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, expressed concern over the abduction of the travellers, who were reportedly travelling from Ijebu-Ode to Ibadan, with their abductors demanding a ransom of N25m.
The organisation noted that while it is relieved that the victims were ultimately rescued or released, “we are deeply saddened that these disheartening incidents are occurring at all, as they remind us that much still needs to be done to secure the people and ensure their safety.”
To permanently end banditry, kidnapping, and allied criminalities in the region, the Afenifere spokesman proposed structural, legal and operational measures.
He said, “South-West governments should acquire modern, high-grade weapons for the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun so its personnel can match the firepower of armed criminals.
“Official security agencies and local outfits should be integrated and structured into tactical squads to effectively patrol ungoverned woodlands and forests.
“Governments should procure and deploy drones, modern communication gadgets and rapid-response systems to monitor forests and border areas.
“Full financial autonomy should be granted to local government councils to enable them to directly fund grassroots policing and maintain regular patrols in vulnerable rural communities.
“Mechanised farming and youth vocational programmes should be established to provide gainful employment and curb criminal recruitment. Strict judicial penalties must be enforced without compromise to deter banditry and violent crimes.
“Effective bottom-up reporting chains should be created so residents can immediately report suspicious movements to ward leaders, community heads, and security agencies.
“Obas, Baales, community leaders and security agencies must work proactively to coordinate neighbourhood watch groups, screen new arrivals in rural settlements and maintain local early-warning systems.”
The organisation stressed that among the victims of recent abduction was Dapo, who had just completed his National Youth Service Corps scheme in Edo State.
It added that the incident occurred just weeks after prospective NYSC members travelling from Ibadan were abducted in Imo State on October 1, 2026.
Afenifere said, “Similarly, the abduction at FRIN—which is also located along the Ibadan–Ijebu-Ode highway—followed a comparable incident at the same location just a few months prior.
“Other recent violent incidents cited in the statement include: the beheading of a farmer in Itesiwaju Local Government Area of Oyo State; the kidnapping of Prince Michael Folarin in Igbeti, Oyo State; the abduction of a 33-year-old poultry farmer, Mr Ooreoluwa Osonuga, in Ogun State; the abduction of Honourable Debo Farounbi in Ora, Osun State and a string of ongoing kidnappings across parts of Kwara, Kogi, and Niger States.”
Ajayi emphasised that the current security situation in the heartland of Yorubaland demands concerted efforts from Federal and State Governments, security agencies, and local communities.
He observed that existing regional initiatives have yet to adequately curb the menace, referencing Operation Kosaye—recently launched by the Ogun and Lagos State governments—alongside tripartite security arrangements between Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo States, and joint governors’ security meetings such as the one held in Ibadan on November 25, 2025.
“While these efforts are acknowledged, the fact that insecurity, particularly kidnapping, persists on our land suggests that current measures are not enough,” it added.
Afenifere stressed that there is a need for more focused, strategic, and better-coordinated actions from the authorities and security agencies in conjunction with local communities across the region.
The statement also referenced recent remarks by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, who warned at last Saturday’s Barewa Old Boys’ Association lecture in Gombe that the high number of out-of-school children in Northern Nigeria poses a severe threat to national security.
Afenifere said, “While speaking on the theme, “The Scourge of Out-of-School Children in Nigeria and the Implications for National Security and National Development,” the Sultan echoed his earlier warning from December 9, 2024, at the graduation ceremony of 1,897 Almajiri and 1,087 out-of-school adolescent girls at the Sultan Maccido Institute of Quranic and General Studies in Sokoto.
“Represented on that occasion by the Ciroma of Sokoto, Alhaji Aliyu Abubakar, the Sultan had decried the neglect of young children under the Almajiri system, noting that their vulnerability makes them easy targets for criminal recruitment in exchange for food, and urged traditional rulers to take a stand against street begging.”
Consequently, Afenifere called on governments at all levels to prioritise public education and introduce welfare programmes that take children off the streets, thereby cutting off the recruitment pipeline for bandits and criminals.
Source: punchng.com
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