The growing wave of insecurity across Nigeria’s South-West has triggered fresh fears among residents, traditional leaders, security experts, and regional stakeholders following recent attacks on schools and communities in Oyo State.
What many once considered a distant Northern crisis has now become an alarming reality in Yorubaland, as experts warn that terrorist sleeper cells may already be deeply embedded within communities across the region.
The latest fears were heightened after gunmen attacked Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle, and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting 39 pupils and students, including a two-year-old child and seven teachers. One teacher was reportedly killed during the attack, while another was later beheaded in captivity.
A week after the incident, all the victims were still being held by their abductors, while panic and displacement continue to spread across affected communities.
Security analysts say the attacks reveal a dangerous shift in the country’s security landscape, warning that terrorist groups are no longer operating only from remote forests in Northern Nigeria but are quietly infiltrating communities in the South-West through sleeper cells.
According to experts, these cells often blend into society by renting apartments, setting up businesses, building local relationships, and studying security patterns before launching attacks.
Director-General of the International Institute of Professional Security, Dr. Tony Ofoyetan, explained that terrorism begins long before actual violence occurs.
“An attack is usually the final stage. By the time it happens, groundwork has already been completed. Some infiltrators settle quietly in communities for years, gathering intelligence and establishing networks,” he said.
The development has sparked concerns among Yoruba leaders who now insist that the region is no longer safe.
President of the Yoruba Council Worldwide, Hassan Oladotun, said the attack in Oyo confirms growing fears that terrorists are gradually extending operations into Yorubaland.
“It is obvious that the South-West can no longer treat this threat lightly. Governors across the region must rise above politics and take collective action to safeguard the region,” he said.
Oladotun also argued that the regional security outfit, Amotekun, appears to be losing effectiveness and called for stronger collaboration with local hunters, vigilante groups, and the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC).
Traditional leaders and community security stakeholders have also raised concerns over increasing criminal activities within forests and border communities.
The Oluode of Ogbomoso South Local Government Area, Chief Adebayo Amos Abiade, warned that forests across the South-West are becoming vulnerable hideouts for criminal groups.
“These forests can no longer remain unmonitored. Local hunters and vigilante groups possess indigenous knowledge and tracking skills that remain highly valuable in combating insecurity,” he said.
Security experts are now urging South-West governors to adopt preventive security systems rather than relying mainly on reactive responses after attacks have occurred.
Technical Partner at Davijey Integrated Services Limited, Job Inegbenijie, stressed that Nigeria’s current security approach gives criminals enough time to strike and escape before authorities arrive.
“We must move from reaction-based security architecture to preventive systems capable of stopping attacks before they happen,” he said.
Experts also called for increased deployment of surveillance technology, intelligence sharing, forest monitoring, and stronger protection for schools, especially in rural communities.
The concerns intensified further after reports emerged that suspected ISWAP operatives were arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) in Apapa, Lagos, in December 2025. Security analysts described the arrests as evidence that extremist networks may already be operating quietly within Nigeria’s commercial capital.
Another security scare followed in January 2026 after bomb threat messages were reportedly sent to two schools in Ikeja GRA, Lagos, prompting emergency deployment of security operatives, although no explosives were eventually found.
Despite these fears, Lagos authorities insist the state remains vigilant.
Through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), the government has expanded investments in surveillance systems, rapid response units, operational vehicles, and protective equipment for security agencies.
Meanwhile, Ogun and Ekiti state governments say they have intensified forest-combing operations, surveillance activities, intelligence gathering, and protection for vulnerable schools and communities.
Amid rising anxiety, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, declared that he possesses the network and operational capacity to confront kidnappers and terrorists threatening the region.
In a strongly-worded statement titled “Yorubaland is Troubled, Darkness Looms,” Adams warned that insecurity had reached an alarming level, with many residents now afraid to travel or farm.
“The evil gradually creeping into Yorubaland is a monster that must be confronted decisively. Our silence is being misconstrued as foolishness,” he said.
The Yoruba leader revealed that the OPC and 13 other security-related groups under the South West Security Stakeholders Group were ready to support efforts to combat insecurity but emphasized that cooperation from governors across the region would be necessary.
Adams further claimed that insecurity in the South-West could be drastically reduced within six months if coordinated action is taken immediately.
Security stakeholders continue to insist that the South-West still has an opportunity to prevent a deeper crisis, but warn that delay, complacency, and weak coordination could allow criminal networks to become more deeply rooted across the region.
Comments