The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has expressed grave concern over persistent terrorist attacks in states bordering the South-West, warning that the development heightened fears of a full-scale incursion into Yorubaland.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, the organisation said repeated attacks in Kwara, Kogi and Niger states, alongside recent kidnappings in Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo States, presented a deeply troubling security trajectory.

Afenifere recalled that heavily armed bandits who invaded Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State penultimate week, reportedly killed nearly 200 people and abducted several others.

In the same week, the organisation recalled bandits launched further attacks in neighbouring Kogi and Edo States, as well as in Niger, Benue, Plateau, Kaduna and Katsina.

It said that on Thursday, bandits struck again in Edo and Oyo, abducting several innocent citizens, including a junior secondary school girl at the Challenge area of Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

Describing the trend as alarming, Afenifere stated: “This is a very disturbing development as cases of abduction seem to be on the increase in Yorubaland. Incidents that occurred in places like Ondo, Ibadan, Kaduna etc., took place in the metropolis. Meaning that terror acts are no longer confined to rustic settings where government presence is thin, if at all.”

The organisation noted that the abduction of the schoolgirl in Ibadan occurred in broad daylight, as her mother was dropping her off at school in the bustling Challenge area, situated at the upper end of Ring Road on the Lagos-bound axis of the city.

The Incident, it stressed, underscored the reality that kidnappings are now occurring within urban centres.

Afenifere further observed that abductions of schoolchildren and attacks on places of worship, churches and mosques as well as markets, had previously been prevalent in the northern parts of the country, adding that Kwara State now appeared to have joined the league of affected areas.

According to the group, recent reports also indicated that bandits have issued advance notices of attacks on some communities in Kwara State, suggesting that the serial sacking of villages, once largely associated with the North-East and Middle Belt, is spreading to new territories.

Ajayi, however, called on the governors of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos, as well as their counterparts in Kwara, Kogi, Edo and Delta, to urgently put in place robust security arrangements that would enable residents to “sleep with their two eyes closed.”

He recalled that the six South-West governors, at their meeting in Ibadan on November 24, 2025, resolved to strengthen regional security.

Among the measures proposed were the establishment of a South-West Security Fund (SWSF) and the creation of monitoring centres to track potential terrorist activity. Ajayi also noted that the Ogun State Government recently inaugurated closed-circuit television (CCTV) monitoring centres in furtherance of this objective.

The Afenifere spokesman maintained that the persistence of banditry and terrorism cannot be attributed to a lack of intelligence.

“It is however not debatable that banditry and terrorism are continuing not because there is no information on or about bandits and terrorists.

“Terrorism is becoming pervasive because even the information available is not being processed and used in the interest of the people. Rather, it, in many cases, even serves the interest of those who are clearly ‘the enemies of the people!” the group said.

Citing specific instances, Ajayi referred to the testimony of the head of Woro village in Kaiama, Kwara State, Alhaji Umar Bio Salihu, who reportedly disclosed that a letter warning of impending attack had been written and forwarded to higher authorities before his village was attacked, yet the assault still occurred.

He further alleged that, as attested by concerned individuals and groups, the identities of certain bandits and their sponsors are known, but those responsible for taking action have “failed woefully,” sometimes allegedly colluding with criminal elements rather than acting in the public interest.

Ajayi also pointed to the example of some northern states, particularly Katsina, which entered into so-called “Peace Pacts” with bandits, saying that, despite such agreements, reports indicated that attacks continued in several communities.

He further criticised the role of certain prominent individuals who acted as intermediaries between governments and bandits.

“It is inconceivable that those with whom Agreements are being signed could not be identified. Thus, rather than dealing with them in line with the provision of the law, they are being pampered.”

The spokesman also referenced allegations of sabotage within the security architecture, including the alleged misappropriation of funds meant for arms procurement under former National Security Adviser, Colonel Dasuki (rtd), and the diversion of similar funds by former Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Chukwunyere Nwabuoku, who is currently facing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

He is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and was reported to have refunded certain sums of money and property as part of the proceedings.

Concluding, Ajayi insisted: “The problem therefore is not lack of information, but the will to use the information in the interest of the people. State Police should take off immediately while communities should also be enabled to have local security arrangements.”

“It is high time governors in Yorubaland go beyond sermonisation and swing into decisive actions that will really make the region a very secure place,” Afenifere urged. (Saturday Vanguard)

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