States in the South-West region of Nigeria are reportedly devising strategies to counter the growing threat posed by an influx of bandits and fighters from the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP).
According to security sources, these armed groups are infiltrating the forests in the region, escalating concerns about the safety of local populations. In response, the affected states are collaborating with security agencies to bolster their defenses, and they are focusing on intelligence gathering, heightened patrols, and other counter-terrorism measures.
The authorities are working to prevent the spread of violence from these groups, who have previously terrorized northern and central parts of the country, and prevent them from establishing footholds in the South-West.
States in the South-West region are strategising in response to the reported influx of bandits and fighters from the Islamic State’s West Africa Province into some of the region’s forests.
The PUNCH reported that Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, warned last week that bandits fleeing military operations in the North-West were seeking refuge in the state.
Raising the concern at the 2025 annual inter-faith service for workers held at the Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, Makinde said, “During a security briefing this morning, I learnt that some bad elements from the North-West are relocating here due to military heat in their zones. But we will find and deal with them.”
The Ogun State government also said it had contacted relevant security agencies, including the military and the police.
The Department of State Services recently arrested 10 suspected members of ISWAP in Ilesa, Osun State.
The arrest came to public knowledge when the DSS sought an order of a Federal High Court in Abuja to detain the suspects for 60 days, an order Justice Emeka Nwite granted last week Friday.
In the same vein, the Oodua People’s Congress urged all the six governors of the South-West to treat as a security emergency the building of camps inside Yoruba land forests by insurgents and terrorists fleeing the North, as it offered to help security agencies tackle the menace.
Govs are consulting
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, noted that he is consulting with his counterparts in Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states.
His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, said the governor, who is also the chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum, receives daily intelligence on the state of security in the region.
Akosile said the governor was prepared to handle security matters in the region, adding that he was well briefed on the issue.
“There is no empirical evidence that there are bandits in the South-West but on matters of security, you can never be over-prepared.
“The governor is receiving intelligence reports on different matters and he is in consultation with other governors from the South-West on how best to tackle the growing concern over security issues in the region,” Akosile told our correspondent in an interview.
“If you recall the inaugural meeting of the South-West Governors Forum, one of the major topics raised at the meeting was the security of the region, so they’ve been meeting on some of the ways to checkmate insecurity in the South-West.
“Basically, they’re studying the situation and there will be something done at the end of the day,” he added.
Speaking on the security situation, the Oyo State government assured residents that he would leave no stone unturned to ensure the safety of everyone in the state.
The government, during a press briefing after the state’s joint security council meeting on Tuesday, said all hands were on deck to fish out the bandits and use the instrumentality of the law to deal with them.
The Special Adviser on Security to Oyo State Governor, Fatai Owoseni, in a statement by the Special Adviser (Media) to Oyo State Governor, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, urged the people to go about their lawful activities without any fear.
Owoseni said with the robust synergy among the security agencies in the state, the bandits and other criminal elements had nowhere to hide.
He also confirmed that Oyo was collaborating with neighbouring states in the region to secure its borders and guard against the influx of bandits.
He noted that to strengthen the security network in the state, the council would hold expanded meetings that would incorporate local government chairmen as well as traditional rulers.
“The essence of this is to ensure that we take security to the grassroots. The local government administration is the third tier of government and is the closest to the people.
“In the same vein, traditional rulers are close to the people and know most people in their domains.
“By integrating them into the security network, we are taking security to the grassroots and carrying everyone along. Security is everybody’s business and we all have a role to play in ensuring that our state is safe from the antics of bandits and other criminal elements,” Owoseni said.
He said that the council also discussed decongesting correctional centres, adding that the state would invoke its power of prerogative of mercy to set free some of the inmates.
Also, the Osun State government said it was providing necessary support for security agencies to make the state unsafe for suspected terrorists and other criminals.
It assured residents that efforts were being geared towards keeping the state safe.
Speaking in an exclusive chat with The PUNCH, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Mr Samuel Ojo, disclosed that Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration’s support for security agencies led to the arrest of suspected ISWAP members in their attempt to establish the group in Osun.
Ojo said “If the government is not working, will they (ISWAP members) be arrested? So, the government is assisting the security agencies to ensure that criminals are arrested and sent away from our state.
“The state is not a place for any criminal and that is why they were nabbed at the earliest stage.”
Allaying fears of possible infiltration by terrorists hiding in neighbouring states to Osun, Ojo, who demanded timely intelligence from the people, particularly residents of boundary communities, said security agencies were working hard to provide security for lives and properties.
“There is no need for them (residents of boundary communities) to panic. Security agencies are working round the clock. The residents should sleep with their two eyes closed without panicking. The DSS and other security agencies are working very hard to make sure they pick others that may be hiding,” Ojo said.
The government also said 84 illegal migrants were arrested while entering the state, adding that those arrested could not explain their mission.
Ojo said Immigration operatives intercepted the foreigners and, after checks, they were made to return to their country through Cross River State.
When asked if those reportedly arrested had been profiled to get further details about them, Ojo said, “Nobody was intercepted from the North. The immigration arrested about 84 migrants and they have been transported back to their country through Cross-River State.
He, however, did not disclose the country where the illegal immigrants came from.
The Corps Commander of Osun Amotekun Corps, Mr Adekunle Omoyele, said the agency had received full support from the state government, adding that the operatives were motivated and supported to fight insecurity.
“In Osun State, the governor is fulfilling his promises to Amotekun by providing substantial funding. He has purchased motorcycles for the corps, which have been distributed across the state commands.
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