Influx of bandits: Afenifere asks govs to beef up security in South-West

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and socio-political organization, Afenifere, has called on governments in the South-West to beef up security in the region.

The call followed reports of the influx of bandits into the South-West.

The body made the call in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, following an alarm raised by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, that bandits being dislodged in the northern part of Nigeria are camping in parts of Oyo State.

DAILY POST recalls Makinde, while speaking at the 2025 annual inter-faith service for workers held at the Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, on Monday, disclosed that bandits being dislodged from the North-West of Nigeria are infiltrating his state.

“During a security briefing this morning, I learned that some bad elements from the North-West are relocating here due to military heat in their zones,” Makinde said.

Reacting, Afenifere noted that the disclosure, coming from the Chief Security Officer of a state is not something to be treated with levity.

The organization therefore called on all the governors of the South-West to, “as a matter of urgency, hold a meeting to map out strategies to expel the bandits from the region and to ensure that such elements do not infiltrate Yorubaland at any time again”.

“For these objectives to be achieved, there is the need to carry certain groups along.

“These are the security agencies that will implement whatever security decisions are reached, traditional rulers and heads of local vigilantes known as ‘Ode’”, the statement said.

Afenifere added that whatever strategies that were devised should include functional up-to-date equipment for those who would be on the fields, attractive incentives and the deployment of modern technologies to assist in identifying the bandits and their hideouts.

While urging security agencies and citizens not to take the issue of security lightly, Ajayi concluded by saying that traditional rulers and community leaders in different parts of Yorubaland should not keep quiet whenever they notice any indication of security threat.

“For example, until the governor made the revelation on Monday, such grave security danger was unknown to members of the public, yet there are people living in the Fashola area where the bandits were reported to have established a camp.

“It is not unlikely that similar camps could be found in some other parts of the South West, hence the need for urgent and effective action,” the statement added.