SOUTHWEST AND THE ISWAP THREAT
Security agencies should do more to contain the danger
Three years after the deadly attack by terrorists suspected to be members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, the Department of State Services (DSS) has raised the alarm of another plot by the group to attack some communities in Ondo and Kogi States. In a letter reportedly addressed to the Commander of the 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure, last week, the DSS warned of an “imminent attacks” while urging heightened surveillance and security deployment across vulnerable areas.
In the northeast, ISWAP has been combining a ruthless insurgency with an elaborate governance and tax system that has enabled it to withstand sustained military onslaught. In most cases, their targets are remote, poor and under-resourced communities, often in border zones where state presence is lacking. According to the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), ISWAP also wants a foothold in Nigeria’s north-eastern states of Taraba, Gombe and Bauchi, which have so far been spared its violence; the North West as well as North Central region, particularly Kogi State where its “cells” are already said to be in place. “Such a project,” noted ISS “requires money to pay combatants and buy weapons, ammunition, materials for manufacturing improvised explosive devices, and vehicles (such as motorcycles and canoes).”
Authorities in the country must work to prevent a further escalation of an insurgency with religious coloration to the South so as not to further expose the country to danger. Already said to be targeted are Ondo State communities like Eriti-Akoko, Oyin-Akoko in Akoko North-West Local Government Area, as well as Owo that had been attacked before. The Boko Haram splinter group allegedly has commenced surveillance on potential soft targets in some of these locations. Indeed, the terrorists have reportedly infiltrated many communities in both states, with their cells being fortified to repeat the same vicious attacks of recent past. Besides, bandits have been terrorising some local governments in the Kogi West senatorial district which share boundaries with Ondo State.
In recent months, policemen, vigilantes, traditional rulers and many others have been reported as victims of ambushes by gunmen. For instance, on 10th September 2025, five security operatives comprising three police officers and two vigilante members were killed at Egbe, Kogi West Area, close to Ondo. Less than two weeks later, four other policemen were killed at a checkpoint in Abugi and Isanlu in Lokoja and Yagba East local government. While the Kogi State government said it is collaborating with security agencies to stave off the attacks, Ondo disclosed that it is taking several steps to protect residents, especially those in border communities.
Most reports indicate that ISWAP, an extremist group prevalent in the north-east and the southern Lake Chad Basin, is bent on expanding its spheres of influence, and spreading terrorism across the country. According to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, ISWAP “focuses on targeting state and military assets while attempting to win local support by providing limited services, such as distributing food and protecting the local population.” In the first half of 2025 alone, the jihadists led more than 300 attacks on military formations, critical national infrastructure, humanitarian facilities, and communities, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people.
But ISWAP threats to march on the Southwest and North central are raising serious concerns considering the implications, especially at a period when some American politicians are pushing the false narrative of ‘genocide against Christians’ in Nigeria. In February, amid reports of infiltration of some terrorists fleeing into some forests in the region, the South West Governors’ Forum pledged to establish a joint security surveillance to tackle the ISWAP threat. There is nothing on ground to suggest any concrete efforts in that direction.
