The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Ige Gani Adams, has warned that terrorists have infiltrated at least 40 local government areas across the South West, adding that they are planning a coordinated attack on the region.
Adams raised the stern security alarm after gunmen attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on Friday.
During that attack, they killed a teacher and abducted several pupils and teachers, beheading one in captivity.
Adams, who spoke in an interview with The PUNCH, said repeated intelligence warnings issued since 2022 were ignored by authorities despite growing security threats across Yorubaland.
He told The PUNCH: “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.
“If you call them bandits, you are playing down the kind of criminals they are.”
According to him, intelligence gathered six months ago showed heavy infiltration of several South West communities by armed groups linked to terrorist networks.
He said his office repeatedly sought collaboration with state governments but claimed authorities failed to engage his security structure despite previous warnings.
Adams said: “For me to raise the alarm that some states have been infiltrated and that terrorists would strike means that the information was based on intelligence and that it would happen.”
The Yoruba leader recalled warning in November last year that terrorists had moved from Kogi State towards Ondo and Ekiti States.
He pointed to the killing of a monarch in Ondo State and the recent attacks in Oyo State as signs the threat was spreading deeper into the South West.
Adams also warned that Lagos could become a major target.
He said: “The target of some of these terrorists is Lagos.
“They are looking for a way for something to happen simultaneously in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States.”
According to Adams, fresh intelligence recently showed an influx of suspected terrorists around a cattle market near the Lagos and Ogun States boundary.
Speaking on local security efforts, he said hunters and vigilante groups lacked the weapons and support needed to confront heavily armed terrorists.
He said: “The power of the hunters is limited.”
He argued that the Amotekun Corps would be more effective if allowed access to sophisticated weapons and formal collaboration with regional security stakeholders.
He listed groups under the South-West Security Stakeholders’ Group to include the Oodua People’s Congress, Agbekoya Society, Vigilante Group of Nigeria, and Professional Hunters Association.
According to him, the organisations possess grassroots structures capable of supporting intelligence gathering and community security operations.
Adams defended the relevance of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) despite internal divisions.
He said: “The structure is intact and OPC is still well coordinated, even more than it was between 2000 and 2005.”
On the killing of one abducted teacher in the Oyo State attack, Adams said the terrorists were sending a message through the violence.
He said: “They used that innocent man to send a message.”
He linked the attacks around Ogbomoso, Igboho, and Igbeti to the porous borders shared with Kwara State and the Republic of Benin.
He claimed some terrorists involved in recent attacks entered from neighbouring territories already facing extremist violence.
The Aare Ona Kakanfo also alleged that local collaborators were helping the attackers with intelligence.
“They have agents whom they pay huge amounts of money to gather intelligence for them,” he said.
According to him, many of the attackers were trained by ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and ISWAP in guerrilla warfare tactics.
Adams warned that the abducted pupils could face serious health risks in captivity.
“If care is not taken, we may lose some of the 39 pupils in the custody of these criminals,” he cautioned.
The Yoruba leader said regional security groups were prepared to mobilise against terrorists if governors approved collaboration.
He explained that moving armed groups into states without official approval could lead to arrests and prosecution.
He said: “We made many mistakes when we started OPC, and we do not want to repeat them.
“We must operate within the confines of the law.”
On possible intervention, he said: “Definitely. The structure is there.”
Adams called on South West governors and traditional rulers to take regional security discussions more seriously.
He criticised the poor government attendance at a previous security summit organised by monarchs in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
According to him, governors should respect invitations from traditional rulers because their role as custodians of the land remains permanent.
Adams said: “Your power as governor is temporary.”
He also renewed support for state police, questioning why the proposal had yet to be implemented despite repeated endorsements by President Bola Tinubu.
He said: “So, we should ask the President or the Presidency: what is the impediment to establishing state police?”
He accused authorities of politicising the recruitment of forest guards while denying Amotekun the powers and weapons needed to tackle insecurity effectively.
Adams warned that insecurity in the South West could severely damage Nigeria’s economy because the region remains the country’s economic hub.Nigerian current events
He said: “If anything happens to the South West, like what we are witnessing in the North East and North West, the economy of Nigeria may collapse.”
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