An indigene and stakeholder in the development of Ondo State, Dr Olakunle Ajayi, has called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to urgently adopt a decentralised, intelligence-driven and community-based security framework to address the escalating insecurity across the state.

In an open letter dated February 23, 2026, and addressed to the governor in Akure, Ajayi warned that insecurity had increasingly defined the state’s national and global image, citing killings, kidnappings, coordinated attacks and assaults on traditional institutions.

“I write with a heavy but hopeful heart, heavy because insecurity has increasingly become the defining headline of Ondo State in national and global discourse. I am hopeful because leadership, when decisive and bold, still has the power to change this ugly trajectory,” he said.

Ajayi referenced recent violent incidents across several communities, including the killing of the Alagamo of Agamo, Oba Kehinde Falodun, by armed bandits.

“Let me put it to you sir, that incident was not merely another crime statistic; it was a symbolic attack on our heritage, authority structures and communal dignity across Ondo State,” he said.

He also cited attacks in Akure South and North, protests in Ilu-Abo and Ala over killings and abductions, the burning of a divisional police headquarters in Ipele, killings in Owo and the abduction and murder of an APC ward chairman in Ose despite ransom payment.

“These incidents are not isolated, and we must not ignorantly make this assumption. They form a pattern that signals structural weaknesses in our current security framework and architecture,” he added.

Ajayi acknowledged the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services, and the Amotekun Corps, as well as local hunters and vigilantes, for confronting criminal elements.

“Amotekun Corps, since its pioneering establishment during the administration of the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (Aketi), has played a vital role in strengthening regional security. The Corps has engaged bandits in forest shootouts, rescued kidnapped victims, and made notable arrests,” he said.

However, he warned that security responses remained largely reactive.

“While these efforts are real and appreciated, the frequency, coordination and audacity of these criminal activities suggest that our system is overstretched and largely reactive rather than preventive,” Ajayi said.

He attributed the worsening situation to structural weaknesses, including forest corridors being used as escape routes, lack of structured surveillance and evidence of local collaborators aiding criminal networks.

“Forest corridors across Akure North, Akure South, Owo, Ose, Akoko, and adjoining axes have increasingly become weaponised spaces, serving as staging grounds and escape routes,” he stated.

Ajayi urged the government to decentralise security architecture to the community level, with each community establishing a structured security council led by traditional rulers.

“Each community, not merely the Local Government structure, should establish a structured security council led from the palace of the relevant Oba in consultation with community stakeholders,” he said.

He also recommended the creation of local security funds supported by household levies and transparent management.

“Communities through town-hall meetings should agree on a modest levy per household to establish a Local Community Security Fund,” he said.

Ajayi further called for the establishment of a 24-hour multi-agency Security Situation Room with toll-free emergency lines, real-time incident tracking and immediate dispatch capability.

“Citizens must regain confidence that when they call for help, help is already in motion!” he stated.

He proposed the deployment of joint rapid-response teams capable of reaching incident locations within 15 minutes.

“Joint rapid-response teams… should be strategically stationed within 15-minute driving coverage zones across identified hotspots,” he said.

Ajayi also urged increased investment in Amotekun, including advanced training, modern equipment and enhanced operational independence.

“Very importantly, agencies that can move immediately without bureaucratic delay… should be strengthened and prioritised in a time like this,” he said.

He emphasised the need to dismantle entire criminal networks rather than focusing solely on arrests.

“Every arrest should trigger extensive systematic profiling of associates, financiers, recruiters, suppliers and local enablers,” he said.
Ajayi also warned about suspicious movements in forest areas.

“The informal intel gathered during my condolence visit to forest communities in Akure North shows that our forest is now littered with foreigners whose mission, occupation and movements need to be investigated,” he said.

He further called for the establishment of special fast-track courts for banditry and kidnapping cases.

“The establishment of a special fast-track security court… would send a strong signal that justice will be swift and certain,” he said, adding that convicted felons on death row should face enforcement of their sentences.

“If there are insecurity-related convicted felons on death row, do not hesitate to sign their death warrant; you must show with everything possible that the State will not spare criminal elements,” he said.

Ajayi warned that insecurity was undermining economic and agricultural development in the state.

“Insecurity is now overshadowing Ondo State’s economic, agricultural and developmental narrative. Investors hesitate in unstable environments. Farmers have abandoned farmlands and villages out of fear,” he said.

He urged decisive leadership to restore peace and public confidence.

“History will remember this moment as either the period of insecurity entrenched in Ondo State, or the turning point when decisive leadership re-engineered community-based security and restored confidence,” he said.

Ajayi concluded by stating that his recommendations were offered in partnership with the government.

“Your Excellency, I offer these thoughts not as criticism but as partnership, as a son of the soil who desires peace, stability and sustainable development for our beloved State,” he said.

“The goal is simple and non-negotiable: to secure Ondo State.”