By Juliet Oladele, Reporting
AARE Ona Kakanfo Gani Adams has accused South-West governors of turning a blind eye to repeated security alerts, following the latest kidnapping of students and teachers in Oyo State.
The Yoruba leader’s explosive claims came after Friday’s attack on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area, where gunmen reportedly killed two people before abducting pupils and staff.
Adams told reporters that intelligence gathered by his network over two years had identified terrorist infiltration in at least 40 local government areas across the region.
“We have 137 local government areas in the South-West, and we spotted not remnants of terrorists, but a lot of terrorists in no fewer than 40 local governments,” he said. “We documented everything and sought collaboration with state governments, but there was no meaningful engagement.”
According to Adams, his office has been raising the alarm since 2022 about armed groups moving into the region from neighbouring Kogi and Kwara states, with the threat gradually spreading into Oyo, Ondo and Ekiti.
He pointed to the killing of a traditional ruler in Ondo earlier this year and recent attacks in Ibadan as evidence that criminal networks were expanding their operations.
The Yoruba leader also warned that Lagos could become a target if urgent action was not taken.
“Three days ago, I got information about an influx of terrorists into a cattle market after the Lagos boundary into Ogun State,” he said. “Their target is Lagos and they are looking for ways to strike simultaneously across South-West states.”
Amotekun ‘Under-equipped’
Adams, a former leader of the Oodua People’s Congress, argued that the regional security outfit Amotekun lacked the firepower to confront heavily armed criminal groups because its personnel were not permitted to carry sophisticated weapons.
“If Amotekun personnel were allowed to carry superior weapons and there was proper collaboration with regional security stakeholders, the situation would be different,” he said.
He disclosed that the South-West Security Stakeholders’ Group under his leadership comprised 14 organisations, including the OPC, Agbekoya Society, Vigilante Group of Nigeria and professional hunters’ associations.
However, he criticised poor coordination by political office holders, claiming some local government chairmen simply handed patrol vehicles to hunters without engaging with proper leadership structures.
Beheading ‘A Deliberate Message’
On reports that one abducted teacher had been beheaded during the Oyo attack, Adams described the killing as a calculated act of terror designed to instil fear across Yorubaland.
He linked the attacks to porous border communities around Ogbomoso, Igboho and Igbeti, which share boundaries with Kwara State and the Benin Republic.
Adams also alleged that local informants were collaborating with the attackers, providing intelligence and logistical support.
“It is a coordinated operation. Before they strike, they study the area for months using local informants,” he added.
Waiting for ‘Green Light’
Despite mounting calls for ethnic militias to confront the attackers directly, Adams said such operations could not proceed without state approval.
“You cannot move hundreds of armed men into a state without the knowledge of the governor and security agencies,” he said. “If we act outside the law, our members could be arrested and charged.”
He declared that regional groups stood ready to support security operations if officially invited by South-West governors.
“The structure is there and our members are ready,” he said. “But we are waiting for the governors to give the green light.”
Adams further criticised political leaders for failing to take traditional institutions seriously on security matters, recalling that only one deputy governor attended a security summit organised by South-West monarchs in Ile-Ife two years ago.
On the debate over state police, he questioned why the initiative had yet to materialise despite repeated assurances from President Bola Tinubu.
“The South-West is the economic nerve centre of Nigeria,” Adams warned. “If insecurity overwhelms this region the way it has affected parts of the North-East and North-West, the economic consequences for the country will be severe.”
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