The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Thursday lamented the upsurge in terror attacks in parts of Yorubaland and in other parts of Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement issued by the organisation’s National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Ajayi referenced the latest security breaches in the country. He lamented the latest killing of some Forest Guards at Old Oyo National Park in Oloka, Oriire Local Government Area, killing of four farmers in Igboho, Oorelope Local Government area both in Oyo State, abduction of a nursing mother and her child in Supare/Ajegunle in Akoko South Local Government Area of Ondo State, the apprehension of some bandits in Ondo who were alleged to have fled Sokoto in the wake of America’s bombardment of their hideout in that place and the burning down of a Police Station in Ipele also in Ondo State.
He said: ”Towards the end of last year, a rumour was rife that some hoodlums planned attacks on some public places in the South West during the just-concluded festive periods. While we thank God that no major attack occurred during the period, the rumour should not be dismissed outright, given reports of terrorists’ cells or camps already detected in various parts of the region. Those who struck at Oloka, Oyo State, on Tuesday must have taken off from one of the cells nearby. Ditto for those who struck in Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Borno, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa and Southern Kaduna States, including those who attacked guests at a wedding ceremony on December 30, 2025, at Kunza, Ashige in Lafia local government area of Nasarawa State. The Third Division of the Nigerian Army, on the eve of this New Year, foiled the attempt to attack some communities in Plateau State and eliminated five bandits in the process.”
Afenifere spokesman challenged Southwest governors to “put life to the resolution they made when they met in Ibadan on November 24, last year, on the security of the region. They had resolved to, among others, set up South West Security Fund (SWSF) that will institute a ‘Joint Security Intelligence Sharing and Communication Platform’ for the purpose of exchanging threat notifications, incident logs, traveller and cargo alerts and coordinate state-to-state rapid response. The governors were urged to quickly actualise this arrangement and jointly acquire the necessary thingamajigs to secure the region. Kwara and Kogi states, including Edo and Delta states, can be brought into the loop in view of the insecurity linkage with these states”.
Ajayi recalled that the Oyo State Government planned to acquire a surveillance aircraft solely for security purposes. It has been learnt that the plane will be unveiled during the 50th anniversary of Oyo State on February 3, 2026.
Afenifere spokesman lauded the military for the yeoman job it is doing, adding that: ”This could be seen, in among others, the discovery of bomb explosives in Ganaru, Zugurma district of Niger State and the detection of 1,270 warheads of ammunition and power banks concealed in a drainage at Bulumkutu Railway area in Maiduguri, Borno State, the bombing of mosques in the same state and the attack on Kasuwan Daji in Demo village of Niger State, where the bandits also abducted many people”.
He conjectured that the battle seems unwon so far for several reasons. “Salient among these factors were inefficient intelligence gathering and processing, as well as sabotage from within and from without. In that sense, serious attention must be paid to these areas in whatever strategies are being formulated to combat terrorism and banditry.
“In view of the number of bandits that have been eliminated or apprehended, their number seems to be increasing not just because of infiltration but because they force some of their captives to partake in the dastardly act. For example, former Theatre Commander of the North East Nigeria’s Joint Task Force, Major General Christopher Musa, in July 2022, disclosed that of the 70,593 insurgents who surrendered, as many as 14,609 were active male fighters, while the rest were women and children. Most of these male fighters were coerced into bandtry. Luckily, the then Theatre Commandant, General Musa, is now the Minister of Defence. He will hopefully put the field experiences to good use now.
“In view of the intransigence of the menace, Afenifere is proposing steps that can be taken to put a stop to it. Strategies to be mapped out should include concrete re-orientation on the need to place greater value on life, deradicalisation, debriefing of youths who have been negatively indoctrinated, restructuring the security architecture, appropriate training of security personnel, motivation and empowerment of these personnel, including the provision of modern security equipment, as well as the immediate take-off of state police.”
Ajayi added that, in view of the need to amend the Constitution to establish State Police, a Presidential Order could be issued to populate various levels of the existing police structure at state and community levels with indigenes or inhabitants of the given area. This could be done pending the time when the necessary constitutional amendments are effected. “This should not be difficult to achieve in view of the recent agreement between the governors and the President on the need to have State Police”, he added.
