Recently, the Yoruba Nation advocate, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, unveiled a private security outfit known as Iru Ekun Security Network, saying it would support efforts to improve security in Yoruba communities.

But the security outfit is being viewed with suspicion and mixed feelings in many quarters, amidst allegations of ethnic profiling, especially targeting of the Fulani in the South-West geopolitical zone, Weekend Trust reports.

The outfit emerged in the wake of the abduction of 46 pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State during a coordinated attack on May 15.

The crisis worsened days later when one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed by the kidnappers.

The incident sparked widespread outrage, leading to nationwide protests by members of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and other stakeholders who demanded urgent action.

Amid rescue and negotiation efforts, Igboho announced his readiness, if permitted, to storm the Old Oyo National Park, where the victims were believed to be held and rescue them.

Barely 10 days after the kidnapping, Igboho launched the indigenous security outfit known as the Iru Ekun Security Network, which he said was established to flush out criminals, including terrorists and bandits terrorising Yoruba land.

In a viral video circulated on May 25, Igboho said: “Iru Ekun is a security network I established. It has been duly registered, submitted to the president and officially approved. I want to call on all Yoruba people to work together so that we can flush criminals out of our forests and reserves. We must not allow them to continue operating among us.

“Some people want to politicise this issue, but we must not allow that. The same thing happened during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan when Boko Haram was used to destabilise the government. Now, some people want to create insecurity again to destabilise the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and damage it politically.

“But we Yoruba people will not allow that to happen because Tinubu is our own, and we must protect our land and our future. We must not allow terrorists to use our land. We must not allow politics to weaponise terrorism against our people.

“If you want to live peacefully with us, come openly and let us know you. But you cannot go into our forests and reserves to kill, kidnap and terrorise our people. Some politicians are sponsoring these acts and that is unacceptable.”

What is Iru Ekun?

Iru Ekun literally means “the leopard’s tail” in Yoruba language. According to its promoters, Iru Ekun is a regional security force with 50,000 members who are ready to combat gunmen, kidnappers and bandits across South-West, Nigeria.

The founder said the group’s mission was to provide security for the people and drive suspected criminals out of the forests.

According to Igboho, members of the outfit have already been trained, forests have been mapped and the force is on standby. He appealed to the federal and state governments to authorise the group to enter the forests and flush out criminals from their strongholds.

He emphasised that the group would not operate without official authorisation, and called on South-West governors, traditional rulers and security chiefs to fast-track the process so operations could begin.

In June, a flyer circulated online, announcing the official launch of the Iru Ekun Security Network at Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The announcement invited Yoruba sons and daughters, supporters and well-wishers across the region to attend what it described as a historic occasion.

However, the official launch, scheduled for June 2, 2026 in Abeokuta did not hold.

The emergence of Iru Ekun has sparked public discussions about regional security outfits, such as Amotekun and other non-state security groups that help protect lives and property in the South-West.

In addition, there have been concerns raised over alleged ethnic profiling, with the Fulani community crying foul that its kinsmen are being targeted. Since the abduction of the school pupils in Oriire and the emergence of Igboho’s security network, there have been several viral clips of Igboho and his men storming Fulani settlements in the South-West and warning them to leave Yoruba land.

In one of the clips, the Yoruba nation activist was seen challenging a Fulani ‘boy’ in the forest.

We’re living in fear – Fulani residents

Fulani residents who spoke to Weekend Trust said that while they were not averse to efforts to secure the region by Sunday Igboho, they were concerned about what they called ethnic profiling as the Fulani residents are being targeted. They described the framing of Fulani as a propaganda that does not help the course of addressing the root cause of insecurity in the region.

Speaking with our correspondent, a Fulani resident in Oyo State said Fulani community in the state and other parts of the region were living in fear.

He said, “We are living in fear. When he mentioned Banni, everyone became scared. What many people fail to realise is that the Fulani have long been part and parcel of this state.

“Among the children who were abducted, three are Fulani children and they are still in captivity. When Sunday Igboho claimed that he gave ultimatum to the Fulani to release those kidnapped in Igboho, his home town and later came out to say they had been released, it is not true. Three days after that incident, another man was kidnapped.

“The suspects arrested in connection with that case are Yoruba – four of them and a policeman. The policeman is currently being held in custody at Igboho; you can go and find out. We have had several cases like this when an attack would be carried out and it would be blamed on the Fulani. We believe these incidents are aimed at tarnishing the image of the Fulani in the state. Our huts have also been attacked.”

The account by the Fulani resident who preferred anonymity was also corroborated by the denial from the police and the council that no captive was rescued.

The council chairman, Jacob Ogundiran, and the Oyo State police command described reports of the victims’ release as false and misleading.

“The kidnapped victims are yet to regain their freedom. We urge members of the public to disregard any information suggesting otherwise unless it emanates from official and credible sources, “the council chairman had said.

On their part, the police said there was no official confirmation that the victims had been rescued, maintaining that there was no evidence connecting Igboho to any rescue operation.

“The Nigeria Police Force has officially debunked claims that the hostages have been safely released,” the police stated.

Past experiences

On Saturday, January 16, 2021, Igboho stormed the home of the Seriki Fulani in Oyo State, Saliu Abdulkadir, to issue a seven-day quit notice to him and members of his community. During the visit, Igboho alleged that Fulani elements in the town were behind the rising cases of insecurity in the Ibarapa zone of Oyo State.

On Friday, January 22, Igboho was given a hero’s welcome at Igangan town with drums and gongs by residents in the afternoon as he began to inspect whether any member of the Fulani community was still around.

Scared, the Fulani in the town, including the Seriki, fled for their lives before the arrival of the battle-ready Igboho.

The development created tension within the community, ending decades of communal harmony which had existed between the residents and the Fulani.

The Serkin Fulani, who was evicted from his Igangan palace repeatedly denied allegations that he was behind the attacks in the area. He said many herders also suffered casualties during various attacks in the community. He stressed that he had no hand in the attacks and had no mercenary anywhere to attack the people on his behalf.

The Seriki Fulani of Oyo State, Alhaji Salihu AbdulKadir, who was evicted from Igangan, has cautioned Yoruba Nation agitator against threatening the Fulani people.

Speaking with Weekend Trust yesterday, Abdulkadir dismissed the allegation by Sunday Igboho, that the Fulani had taken over ancestral farmlands, describing it as “nothing but lies.”

He recalled that Sunday Igboho was encouraged by his eviction about five years ago, saying he must be called to order.

He expressed concern over what he described as recurring narratives that portray all Fulani people as criminals, stressing that such generalisations were unfair and dangerous.

According to him, millions of Fulani across Nigeria are law-abiding citizens engaged in legitimate businesses.

AbdulKadir noted that ethnic profiling could fuel mistrust, hatred and threaten the peace and unity that communities across the country have worked hard to sustain.

Makinde’s executive order and Iru Ekun

On May 20, the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, issued an executive order to regulate the activities of associations and groups providing security-related services within the state.

The governor directed leaders of the various security outfits to register formally with the Oyo State Government and ensure that their members wear uniforms for identification while operating in the state.

Makinde said the executive order had become necessary to improve the coordination of security efforts, noting that insecurity had become “more sophisticated.”

He emphasised that security is primarily the responsibility of the government, but said the state would welcome the efforts of any group operating within a clear legal and operational framework that promotes peace, order and the rule of law.

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Abiodun Aikomo, said the executive order was designed to ensure accountability and proper monitoring of all the groups engaged in security-related activities.

Aikomo said the increasing number of informal security groups necessitated regulation to prevent abuse and unintended security consequences.

He disclosed that any group involved in security operations with more than five members must formally notify the Office of the Governor through the special adviser on security.

According to him, existing groups have 72 hours to comply with the directive, after which they would be documented and issued certificates for recognition.

He warned that failure to comply with the order would attract legal consequences, including prosecution.

The attorney-general added that the Office of the Special Adviser on Security, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Oyo State police command had been mandated to enforce compliance.

Aikomo further cautioned against unregulated security operations, noting that such actions could worsen insecurity rather than resolve it.

He reaffirmed that the government remained committed to protecting lives and property while ensuring that security efforts are coordinated, lawful and effective

Outfit awaits registration

Although Igboho initially said the outfit already had the president’s backing, he later clarified that he was still awaiting federal government approval for the take-off of the security outfit.

He also expressed his readiness to comply with the executive order issued by the Oyo State Government regulating the activities of private security firms.

In a statement issued in Ibadan, Igboho stressed that all the necessary documents and procedural requirements had been submitted to the federal government.

He said: “We have submitted all the required documents for our registered security firm, ‘Iru Ekun Security Network’ and now await federal government’s approval, which will be granted soon.

“We are absolutely ready to collaborate with the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other relevant stakeholders in the security sector to flush out terrorists, kidnappers, bandits and other hoodlums threatening the peace and safety of our people, especially in rural communities.”

Operating without registration?

In May, Igboho hinted that the security outfit had begun operation across forests in the South-West, as well as Yoruba-speaking parts of Kogi and Kwara states.

He made the disclosure while addressing representatives of the security outfit in a video circulating online.

“We have started already; there’s no delay. Anyone found in any of our forests is a criminal. People should live normally in houses outside the forest. We are all Nigerians,” he said in the nine-minute, 23-second video.

In the video, a banner bearing the name: Iru Ekun Security Network and Igboho’s photograph was displayed behind him as he addressed the gathering.

In a letter addressed to the Oyo State Commissioner for Education and copied to Governor Makinde, Igboho formally offered to deploy his private security outfit to public schools across Oyo State following the abduction of teachers and pupils in Oriire Local Government Area.

He said the Iru Ekun Private Security Limited was prepared to partner with the state government to strengthen security in public schools across the state’s 33 local government areas.

The letter, dated June 9, 2026, requested details of public schools and their locations to enable the outfit to plan deployment.

According to the correspondence signed by Sunday Igboho and the legal adviser of the Iru Ekun Security Network, Junaid A. Sanusi, the organisation intends to station security personnel in schools across the state.

It stated: “Sir, Iru Ekun Security Network’s plan, upon receipt of the requested information, is to ensure that at least two trained members of the outfit are stationed at each public school identified across Oyo State. Their mandate will be to guard school environments, monitor access points, liaise with principals and community vigilantes and prevent unlawful incursion by criminal elements.”

The security outfit said the proposal reflected its commitment to working with government authorities, traditional institutions and local communities to protect schools and address recurring attacks targeting students and teachers.

It also advised the state government to improve school infrastructure.

“We equally advise the Oyo State Government to consider raising fences around all the public schools within Oyo State in order to make the school environment easier for members of the Iru Ekun Security Network stationed there to guard,” the letter added.

While commending ongoing rescue efforts by the Oyo State Government and federal security agencies, the organisation stressed the importance of preventive measures.

“Time is of the essence. Every day without preventive deployment exposes our children and teachers to avoidable risk. With proper data and perimeter security, we can create a protective shield around every public school in Oyo State,” the organisation stated, reaffirming its readiness to collaborate with relevant education agencies and community stakeholders, including school management boards.

Bandits ambush, injure operatives in Oyo forest

Last week, reports emerged of an attack on members of the Iru Ekun Security Network during an operation inside the Old Oyo National Park.

The operatives were reportedly tracking suspected kidnappers and other armed criminals believed to be operating in the forest reserve when they came under attack.

The team had deployed surveillance drones to locate suspected criminal camps and monitor the movement of armed groups before advancing into the area.

The operation later turned into a gun battle after heavily armed men, believed to be members of cross-border criminal networks, opened fire on the operatives. Some members of the Iru Ekun team reportedly sustained injuries.

Providing an update, Igboho later said the injured members of his private security outfit had recovered.

He made the disclosure in a video shared on Sunday, where he dismissed rumours about his wellbeing and confirmed that he was safe.

He also reaffirmed his determination to continue efforts against those threatening peace in the region.

He said: “I greet you, my fathers and mothers. It is your son, Sunday Igboho. My brothers and sisters all over the world, today is the 28th of June, 2026. Rumours have been going around, but I am using this opportunity to tell all my loved ones around the world that I am okay. Those who sustained injuries are now okay. We will not rest until we ensure that those disturbing the peace of our land depart.”

Nothing wrong in empowering non-state actors, but activities must be streamlined – Expert

A security expert, Mr Mathew Ibadin, in a chat with Weekend Trust, said there was nothing wrong in bringing in non-state actors into the security architecture, but there must be a structure and process through which their activities can be streamlined.

He said, “The government should make sure they also control what Igboho is doing. I mean, if they give them a test of preference, they should also be guided to say, ‘Please, don’t go to this area.’ You know what I mean? Make sure it is cool in the bush. Or people you see red-handed are being persecuted. And I believe we also have law and order in Nigeria. Even when they arrest them, they still go and speak to the law enforcement agency to be able to profile them and have an evidence of where the crime was committed. You know what I am talking about?

“You cannot just go and push people in their houses. And if they have intelligence, they should work with intelligence. The DSS and the police are there; they will also profile them before persecution.

“We have Amotekun in the South-West, which was established by governors of that region. And this security outfit has been working, so if Igboho wants to have his own, it is the prerogative of the governors to make sure they register it and work with the operatives in mutual respect. But it should not be used as a political witch hunt against anybody. What matters most is for us to solve the problem and make sure that everybody is on the same page.

“I believe that security should not be politicised, so they should work in a very well defined, structured agreement so that people will be free because Nigerians are the casualties. Now, everybody is skeptical and scared. We should not mix politics with security. That is just the truth of the matter. Let people be able to walk freely in the South-West, especially Ibadan, so that at the end of the day, the people will have a sense of belonging.” (Weekend Trust)

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