Group seeks urgent action on insecurity in South West

The Southwest Youths Forum has expressed concern over the rising wave of insecurity in the Southwest, warning that the region’s long-standing reputation for relative peace and stability is under threat.

The forum said the growing incidents of banditry, kidnapping for ransom, farmer-herder clashes and infiltration of criminal elements are now affecting communities across the zone, including Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Lagos states.

In a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, the group’s team lead, Olumide Fasubaa, said the situation had moved beyond distant threats to direct attacks on livelihoods, education and public safety.

“Banditry, kidnapping for ransom, farmer-herder clashes and the infiltration of criminal elements from other regions are no longer distant threats. They have crept into our forests, highways, farmlands, and communities across Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, and even Lagos,” he said.

Fasubaa warned that the region, once regarded as a hub of economic vitality and stability, now risks broader destabilisation if urgent and coordinated action is not taken by state authorities.

The statement referenced recent attacks in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where armed bandits reportedly killed a teacher and abducted pupils, students and teachers during a school attack.

While commending the Southwest Governors’ Forum for earlier initiatives, including proposals for a Regional Security Trust Fund and improved intelligence sharing, Fasubaa said implementation must now move beyond planning to concrete action.

The persistence and escalation of these attacks demand far more aggressive implementation and visible results on the ground. Words and frameworks must now translate into tangible security improvements that citizens can feel,” it said.

The forum urged the governors of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti states to urgently activate and adequately fund the proposed regional security architecture, including the Security Trust Fund, with transparent accountability systems.

It also called for the strengthening of state-backed security structures, including vigilantes, hunters and community policing outfits through training, logistics support and legal backing.

Fasubaa further advocated improved inter-state collaboration on intelligence sharing, rapid response coordination and border security, alongside sustained protection of schools, farmlands and highways through patrols and surveillance systems.

The group also called for deeper engagement with traditional rulers, youth groups and civil society in a community-driven security strategy, as well as renewed advocacy for state policing while maximising existing constitutional powers.

Fasubaa stressed that residents of the region deserve stronger protection, saying insecurity reflects governance gaps that must be urgently addressed.

“We deserve a secure environment to thrive, educate our children, and contribute to national development. Insecurity is a failure of proactive governance that can and must be reversed through strong leadership.”

The forum said it is willing to collaborate with governments and security agencies in lawful efforts to restore peace, adding that “the time for half-measures is over” as it called for decisive action to secure the region.