Bandit Attacks: Afenifere Warns of Looming Threat to South-West

…Cites killings in Kwara, kidnappings in Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo as signs of growing incursion

…As Group links persistent terror to sabotage, demands urgent regional security overhaul

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has expressed deep concern over the rising wave of terrorist attacks and kidnappings in states bordering the South West, warning of a possible escalation of insecurity across Yorubaland.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, the group described the repeated attacks in Kwara, Kogi and Niger states, alongside recent kidnappings in Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo states, as disturbing and unacceptable.

Afenifere recalled that heavily armed bandits invaded Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, killing nearly 200 people and abducting several others. Within the same week, attacks were also reported in Kogi, Edo, Niger, Benue, Plateau, Kaduna and Katsina states.

Particularly alarming, the group noted, was the abduction of a junior secondary school girl at the Challenge area of Ibadan, Oyo State, carried out in broad daylight while her mother was dropping her off at school.

According to Afenifere, the incident underscores a troubling shift, as terror attacks are no longer confined to rural communities with minimal government presence but are now occurring within metropolitan areas.

The organization warned that abductions of schoolchildren and attacks on places of worship and markets, previously rampant in parts of Northern Nigeria, are spreading, with Kwara now significantly affected. It also cited reports that bandits have issued notices of planned attacks on some communities in Kwara, raising fears of further displacement and violence.

Afenifere called on governors of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos states, as well as their counterparts in Kwara, Kogi, Edo and Delta, to urgently strengthen security architecture to safeguard lives and property.

Ajayi recalled that the six South West governors had, at their meeting in Ibadan on November 24, 2025, resolved to intensify regional security collaboration, including plans to establish a South West Security Fund and monitoring centres to track criminal elements.

He commended the Ogun State Government for recently inaugurating closed-circuit television (CCTV) monitoring centres as part of efforts to improve surveillance.

However, the group maintained that the persistence of banditry and terrorism is not due to lack of intelligence but rather a failure to act on available information.
Citing the testimony of the head of Woro village in Kaiama, Alhaji Umar Bio Salihu, Afenifere noted that prior warnings were reportedly communicated to authorities before the attack on the community, yet no preventive action was taken.

The organization also alleged that identities of some bandits and their sponsors are known but that certain officials have failed to act decisively. It referenced instances in some northern states, including Katsina, where “peace pacts” were reportedly signed with bandits, yet attacks continued.

Afenifere further pointed to past allegations of corruption in the management of security funds, including cases involving former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), and former Accountant-General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged diversion of public funds.

Ajayi further stressed that the core challenge is not the absence of intelligence but the political will to deploy it effectively in the interest of citizens.

He reiterated the call for the immediate establishment of state police and strengthened community-based security arrangements, urging governors in Yorubaland to move beyond rhetoric and take decisive steps to secure the region.