The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, speaks with SEYE OLUMIDE on the rising insecurity in the South-West, the threat of bandits, the role of traditional rulers, and why Nigeria must urgently embrace restructuring to avert a looming catastrophe.

How do you respond to the growing presence of Northern migrants in the South, including those considered bandits?
We are seriously concerned about the growing insecurity across Nigeria, particularly in the South and South-West. This is not a recent development; it started long ago. We foresaw that it could get out of hand, which was why, upon becoming the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, I wrote a letter proposing a South-West Security Summit. After one year, the governors granted the request, which gave birth to the Amotekun security outfit.

The issue of banditry began in Borno State. Boko Haram insurgency, which initially appeared like child’s play, was unfortunately mismanaged by Nigeria’s security agencies. From Borno, the crisis spread across the North, first to the North-West, then the Middle Belt, and eventually parts of Kogi. At the early stage, the North-West was peaceful, but it later became engulfed.

In the South-East, crime initially manifested as pockets of armed robbery and theft until it grew into self-determination struggles. In the South-South, the dominant issue was kidnapping. At that time, we warned that these forms of insecurity should not be allowed to infiltrate the South-West.

During the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, the insurgency spread into the North-West, beginning from Zamfara, largely due to illegal gold mining in the state. From there, it moved to Sokoto, Katsina, and Kaduna. The only state in the region partially spared was Kano. From the North-West, the crisis extended to the Middle Belt, targeting Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa States, and eventually spreading into Kogi.

The Kogi situation was so serious that travellers from Abuja were constantly attacked. Any vehicle, especially luxury buses, travelling through Kogi had to move with armed escorts. The only relatively safer route was through Ekiti to Okun-Kabba.

For the South-West, the infiltration began from Oyo State, which shares boundaries with Kwara, Ekiti, and Osun. The influx came mainly through the Oke Ogun area in Ibarapa. I raised several alarms in the media and also reached out to the authorities on measures to curb the situation. Even before I became the Aare Onakakanfo in January 2018, I had gathered strategists, including people outside my organisation, on how best to address the looming security threat.

I was advised to write formally to the political authorities, which I did. In February 2018, shortly after my installation, I sent a letter to the governors. When they failed to respond after three months, I wrote another reminder and syndicated the letter in the media. I also copied the councils of Obas in every Southwest state. Still, there was no response. I eventually began to call the governors directly.

Eventually, they promised to convene a summit, which they did in July 2019, and this led to the establishment of Amotekun. I must tell you that 50 to 60 per cent of the pioneer Amotekun corps were from our group, especially in Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, and parts of Osun States. Some of our members even joined without informing us. This gave us confidence that an indigenous outfit could complement the federal security agencies.

However, I observed variations in commitment. Ondo embraced the project fully. Oyo did a lot, and I was even compensated by Governor Seyi Makinde with three corps members and a pilot vehicle. Ekiti, on the other hand, had fewer than 500 personnel at the time, which I criticised openly. Ogun and Osun also showed less seriousness initially, while Lagos opted out.

It took the resilience of opinion leaders and traditional rulers in Yorubaland, as well as the courage of the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, to push back against resistance from the then Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, and the Buhari administration, which never wanted Amotekun recognised. Eventually, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo mediated, and it was agreed that Amotekun should not operate as a regional force but as a state outfit backed by law.

Since then, we have continued to remind governors not to trivialise Amotekun. I raised alarms over Osun’s weaknesses during Oyetola’s tenure, suggesting the use of forest guards in addition to Amotekun. Thankfully, Oyo, Ondo, and now Osun, under Governor Ademola Adeleke, have made improvements in that regard.

Beyond that, I also spearheaded the unification of 14 different private security groups into the Southwest Security Stakeholders Group (SSSG) to synergise with Amotekun. I wrote another letter to the governors stressing the need for collaboration with non-governmental security actors for effective intelligence gathering. The infiltration from the North requires a strategic and well-coordinated response.

As Aare Onakakanfo, I am not seeking to interfere in government security architecture. My position is that we must put structures in place to prevent the influx of bandits into Yorubaland. Unfortunately, I am still awaiting a formal response to this proposal.

We realised long ago that our efforts could not succeed without the support and approval of the governors. Collaboration with the security agencies was necessary to address the looming danger, but unfortunately, the governors never listened.

Let me explain the implications. In Ondo State, there are pockets of insecurity, especially in Akoko, Owo, Ilaje, and Ikale. In Ogun, particularly in the Yewa area bordering the Benin Republic, the situation is equally disturbing. Bandits move in from Benin, Saki, and Ibarapa to abduct people. Victims kidnapped in Iwoye are taken to Saki, while those seized in Imeko are moved deeper into Ogun. Many never make it out alive. In fact, only about 20 to 30 per cent of victims regain freedom, usually after ransom payments.

In Lagos, kidnapping is rife, but the state’s resources have helped contain it to some extent. Even so, things have changed. Night parties, once a vibrant part of Yoruba culture, now mostly hold in halls. Owners insist that events end by 9 p.m. out of fear. Only big hotels on Lagos Island still host night gatherings without restriction.

Kwara is not spared. In the Igbonna axis, Ishara, and Ijeda, insecurity is a daily occurrence. The same is true in Oke-Ogun, Akoko, and parts of Ore. You will recall the tragic attack on a Catholic Church in Ondo where terrorists planted a bomb, killing between 40 and 50 worshippers. Elsewhere, a House of Representatives member revealed on the floor of parliament that 50 people were killed in his Katsina community, 30 more during prayers at a mosque, and another 30 were burnt alive in a neighbouring village.

We are aware of these grim realities, but we deliberately refrained from blowing them out in the media. We have credible intelligence reports, yet we stayed silent to avoid accusations of overheating the polity. About two months ago, we got word of a coordinated attack being planned in the Southwest, but again, we kept quiet. Instead, we began to call for the reorganisation of our society in preparation for what may come.

That was why we organised retreats and conferences in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, and Ondo to enlighten our people and prepare them for the dangers ahead. I also summoned Southwest security stakeholders and tasked them with sensitising their communities. Security is not only about bows, arrows, and guns.

In addition, we formed the Oodua Unity Group and directed them to prepare and mobilise their members. We shared with them credible intelligence about the movement of bandits into our region. We also alerted key individuals across the Southwest. At our level, we are preparing. Sadly, there is no synergy between us and political officeholders.

Let me be clear: the Yoruba people must understand that the Aare Onakakanfo is not part of the government. Some do not know that the government has never approved the Aare Onakankanfo to assist in fighting insecurity. Others assume I receive state support, but the truth is I neither collect a salary nor get any financial assistance from the government.

Whatever you see us doing is from the limited resources at our disposal. Our goal is simple: if unforeseen security challenges erupt, we must be able to stand up to them.

Why do you think governors in the South-West have been reluctant to partner with or support you in your security efforts?
It may be political. Some of them believe that if I succeed, people will say I am doing their job. But the issue at hand goes beyond politics. Let me give you an example. The Olokun Festival Foundation is one of the cultural arms of the OPC. I deliberately invited people outside OPC to join in planning the festival. I did not restrict it to our members alone. Some of these people have travelled widely. Abroad, a taxi driver could be an informant to government security agencies, a shoemaker may contribute to intelligence, and a trader can also play a role. No government in the world can secure its citizens with state structures alone. Security must go beyond partisanship.

From your findings, what is really attracting these bandits to the South-West?
First, there is the desperation to seize our lands, especially those rich in solid minerals. Even the Governor of Benue State has raised an alarm that invaders are attempting to take over lands there. In Yorubaland, between 70 and 80 per cent of our lands contain mineral deposits.

Secondly, we suspect a religious undertone, an attempt to drag us into a jihad. Bandits have recruited Yoruba people in some communities across Osun, Oyo, and parts of Ondo.

The third factor is political. I listened to a northern leader recently boasting that if the North fails to win the 2027 election through the ballot, there will be war. That is why I look at security beyond politics. As Aare Onakakanfo, our people expect me to act. I have followers, but I am handicapped because the government has refused to carry me along.

We must not underrate these attacks. In Benue and Plateau, communities have been displaced, their lands occupied by invaders, mainly in areas with mineral deposits. I urge you as journalists to investigate. Many communities are being taken over. For instance, Babanla in Kwara was recently invaded, and that area has crude oil. The Ibarapa attack also had to do with solid mineral deposits. By the time they kidnap 10 to 15 people, the original owners abandon the land, and the bandits take over.

There are reports that some traditional rulers in the South-West connive with bandits to mine mineral deposits illegally. Is this true?
That question touches on restructuring, but let me respond directly. If the government coordinated the derivation principle properly, no monarch would invite outsiders to mine minerals in their communities.

Any solid mineral discovered should involve the federal, state, and local governments, with a clear sharing formula. If the host communities are given a share, no monarch would invite marauders.

The truth is that Nigeria has barely mined up to two per cent of its solid minerals. We have yet to exploit them properly because mining is not done in an organised way.

What is your position on restructuring again?
The more Nigeria runs away from restructuring, the deeper we sink into poverty and insecurity. Solid minerals are at the centre of the crisis, yet many people are blind to it.

A former Kaduna governor once said the mineral deposits in Kaduna alone are more than what the whole of Southern Africa has. When I visited Kano, the governor showed me a brochure listing 33 solid minerals in the state. Nasarawa has about 41, and Plateau has 28. Yet the North keeps its focus on oil, ignoring what it truly has.

Unfortunately, some of them prefer to grab the Yoruba land. Please publish this: a recent U.S. intelligence report confirmed that terrorists and bandits have infiltrated Southern Nigeria and even parts of West Africa. That was just two months ago, yet our government kept quiet. Another report warned that Nigeria’s coastal areas, Lagos, Ondo, Niger Delta, have already been infiltrated.

You do not control the police or the army, yet you have been vocal on security. How safe is your life?
My security comes from God first, from my ancestors second, and from my men third. I will not say more than that.