The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has warned that terrorist groups responsible for recent attacks in Northern Nigeria are planning coordinated assaults across South-West states, alleging that Kogi and Kwara are being used as “testing grounds” ahead of major operations. Adams issued the warning in an interview with News Central following attacks and abductions in Kebbi, Kwara and Niger states.

Adams, who is also the national coordinator of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), said intelligence available to him indicates that armed groups have already infiltrated several communities across Yorubaland. He spoke from his residence in Lagos, where he expressed concern over the growing security threats facing the country.

According to him, “Our country is in a serious security threat; what is happening in most of the states now calls for concern.” Adams said further that intelligence received showed widespread infiltration:

“We got information on a very serious authority that we have been highly infiltrated in the South-West by these terrorists in most communities in Yorubaland.”

He described Kogi and Kwara as strategic gateways into the region, alleging that recent violence there was part of a broader plan. “You know, Kogi and Kwara are just like buffer zones to the South-West. What they are doing in Kwara is just a test of grounds to start the major attacks in the South-West. The information at our disposal is that they want to attack Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, and Lagos states,” he said.

Adams also claimed that the different groups involved are coordinated by external actors pursuing varied motivations.

“I can tell you authoritatively that this thing is being coordinated by some foreigners; it goes beyond Nigerians,” he said. He added that “One of the reasons behind these attacks is three issues: it’s religiously motivated, economically motivated, and ethnicity is there. Different groups have their own way of target on the basis of their own ideology.”

The warning comes in the aftermath of several major attacks in the Northern part of the country. On Friday, terrorists abducted over 300 pupils, students and teachers from St. Mary’s Papiri Private Catholic Secondary School in Agwara, Niger State.

Earlier in the week, attackers invaded Maga Comprehensive Girls’ Secondary School in Kebbi, kidnapping 25 female students and killing one staff member.

In Kwara State, a parish of the Christ Apostolic Church in Oke Isegun, Eruku, a community on the boundary with Kogi, was attacked on Tuesday, leaving three worshippers dead, while the pastor and church members were abducted.

Adams said these incidents form part of a pattern of escalating threats, stressing that the situation demands urgent nationwide attention. “Credible information available to us indicates that terrorists have already infiltrated many communities in Yorubaland,” he reiterated. (AriseNews TV)