As Insecurity Escalates in South-west

Once considered relatively insulated from extremist violence, the recent brazen assaults on two schools in Oyo State have shown that the South-west is becoming increasingly engulfed by terror activities that have tormented the northern region, Davidson Iriekpen writes 

The recent abduction of pupils from the LA Primary School and Community Grammar School in Oyo State has again shown that terrorists have infiltrated the South-west from the northern parts of the country through Kwara and Kogi states.

Information gathered from the state showed that the attackers in military uniforms stormed the areas on motorbikes and a car, fired indiscriminately, sending residents fleeing in panic across the three rural communities of Yawota, Esinele, and Alausa in the Oriire Local Government Area of the state. In the chaos, they carted away the victims and fled into the local forest reserves.

In total, 48 persons were said to have been kidnapped, including the school principal, Mrs. Rachael Alamu; two vice principals, and three teachers at Community High School. A teacher was tragically shot dead.

Residents said there were warning signs and that since there was no police station or division in the area, police arrived about three hours after the terrorists had fled.

The attack, to many, is not surprising since Nigeria operates a strained, centralized policing system, where the police workforce is overstretched, and a significant portion of officers are diverted to protect VIPs.

As expected, the state police command issued the usual rhetoric: “We have deployed tactical squads, forest rangers, and local hunters to comb the surrounding bushes and secure the safe release of the victims.”

Two days after the abduction, Mrs. Alamu was seen in a viral video frantically begging the federal government, Oyo State government, and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to negotiate for their freedom.

But soon after, one of the teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was gruesomely beheaded in a disturbing video, allegedly released by the abductors. In the footage, the victim was seen tied up and forced to speak before being executed.

The killing heightened fear and anger across the affected communities, as families of abducted victims and residents continued to appeal for urgent rescue efforts.

For many, the attack is an indication that the South-west is not spared from the terror activities that have tormented the northern region.  

Terrorism was initially restricted to the northern region. But when Kogi and Kwara states started witnessing frequent and unchecked terror attacks, killings, and kidnapping for ransom, many knew that in no time, insecurity would spread to the South-west states and other parts of the southern region.

Currently, the malaise has escalated significantly to Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, and Ekiti, with coordinated mass abductions and highway kidnappings worsening.

In many rural communities and along major highways, residents now live in constant fear as criminal elements exploit forests and remote areas to carry out their heinous activities. Innocent people are being kidnapped for ransom or killed by gunmen, especially farmers, which threatens food security in the region.

For Oyo, this is not the first time the state has witnessed terrorism. The last four months have been marked by increased kidnappings, particularly in the Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa, and Ogbomoso areas, signalling the infiltration of the state by criminal elements.

In January, over 15 cases of abductions were reported, with bandits attacking a National Park Service office in Oloka, Oriire, killing five rangers.

Two representatives from the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (Ogun State Chapter) were abducted while submitting seedlings at the CRIN nursery site in Oluyole Local Government Area.

Four persons were reported abducted along the Igbeti–Kishi road, prompting a police force, vigilante, and Amotekun search.

A lady in Jobele, Afijio local government area escaped abduction, a suspect was arrested, escaped from custody, but through public outcry and protest by the community, he was re-arrested by the Jobele police division.

Also, masked gunmen kidnapped one Adetutu Aderibigbe at Bolumole Area, off Ring Road, Ibadan, the capital. The assailants had trailed the victim to her residence while attempting to enter her premises. She was accosted at the gate by four-armed men wearing masks and subsequently forcefully taken away in an unregistered black Lexus vehicle. These are among other kidnappings recorded in the state in the last few months.

Last February, bandits abducted and killed the Alagamo of Agamo in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo, Oba Kehinde Falodun. A day later, a couple was abducted at Ilu Abo in the same LGA. 

Recently, residents of Eda Oniyo Ekiti in Ilejemeje Local Government Area of Ekiti State were thrown into confusion when the bandits invaded a church during an open-air crusade service. It was learnt that the gunmen who stormed the church located on the outskirts of the community killed the presiding pastor and abducted several worshippers.

With these widespread incidents, it is no longer just about a particular state, but about the entire region that is fast becoming exposed.

The Oyo incident calls for governors to convene an urgent regional security meeting to discuss immediate, short-term measures, including the possibility of establishing a regional security office.

It would be recalled that it was the wave of insecurity that culminated in the killing of Funke Olakunrin, daughter of Pa Reuben Fasoranti, in July 2019, that prompted South-west governors to establish the Amotekun Corps in early 2020. The move was championed by the late Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, despite initial resistance from the Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government.

Despite the challenges, the Amotekun Corps in some states has proven to be effective. All that is required is for the state governors to strengthen, properly fund, expand, and equip it with modern tools to achieve the purpose for which it was set up.

The Oyo incident calls for governors to convene an urgent regional security meeting to discuss immediate, short-term measures, including the possibility of establishing a regional security office.

The region must shift from passive response to proactive containment. Where necessary, they should think of reinvigorating the O’odua Peoples’ Congress (OPC).

In an interview last week, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, revealed that terrorists have made inroads into 40 local governments in the South-west geopolitical zone.

Given the federal security agencies’ failure to address worsening insecurity, state governors in the South-west must take decisive action to tackle the problem. They can no longer hide behind the limitations of the federal policing structure as an excuse for inaction or inertia.

The insecurity in the South-west requires a unified approach that brings together government, security agencies, and grassroots organisations into a coordinated system driven by intelligence and shared objectives. 

This is not the time for politics or blame games; it is the time for decisive action. If they don’t act now in a structured, collaborative way, the situation will only get worse, and that’s not an option for the team.