Initially, it was effective especially in Ondo and Osun states but gradually the security outfit lost focus or it was no longer funded and across the states its effect is dwindling very fast, as it is being used to tackle petty crimes while bandits are getting emboldened to attack the region. At this point, the governors need to return to the drawing table with a view to making the region safe for the people. I am of the view that other security outfits, like Oodua People’s Congress, Iru Ekun, and local hunters should be integrated into Amotekun to check the incursion of the terrorists”.

We’re concerned about growing vulnerability of our forests — Chief Adebayo

The Oluode of Ogbomoso South Local Government Areas of Oyo State: Chief Adebayo Amos Abiade said: “The recent insecurity spreading towards the South-West is deeply alarming. As local hunters and community-based security stakeholders, we are concerned about the growing vulnerability of our forests, which are increasingly becoming unsafe and potentially used as hideouts for criminal elements. These forests can no longer remain unmonitored or left without structured oversight.

Beyond modern surveillance and intelligence gathering, we must also reinforce traditional means of securing our land. Local hunters, forest guards, and community vigilante structures have long relied on indigenous knowledge of terrain, tracking skills, and early warning systems rooted in our communities. These methods, when properly coordinated and supported, remain highly effective in complementing formal security efforts.

Governments across the South-West must urgently improve surveillance of forest reserves, strengthen community intelligence networks, and ensure rapid response mechanisms are in place, especially around rural schools which must no longer remain easy targets. What is required now is coordinated action, stronger intelligence sharing, and a serious integration of both modern and traditional security approaches. Our people deserve to live in safety, and that responsibility must be taken seriously and without delay.

A public analyst and former Ondo state chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Stephen Adewale, said: “Amotekun remains an important regional security initiative, but the latest developments show that it cannot work effectively as a symbolic outfit. It must be strengthened with intelligence, logistics, training, technology, and stronger coordination with the police, DSS, civil defence, local hunters, forest guards, traditional rulers and community leaders.

“Security today cannot be reduced to checkpoints and patrol vans alone. It requires early warning systems, community reporting, forest surveillance, rapid response arrangements and proper mapping of vulnerable schools, border communities and forest corridors. The South West governments must also treat forests as security spaces, not empty lands. Many criminal groups exploit ungoverned forests, abandoned settlements and poorly monitored border routes. The governments in the region should, therefore, conduct coordinated forest audits, register and monitor legitimate occupants, remove criminal hideouts, improve inter-state intelligence sharing and strengthen collaboration with neighbouring states such as Kwara, Kogi, Niger and Edo. No state can secure itself in isolation because these criminal networks move across boundaries.

Most importantly, school security must now become a regional emergency. Schools in remote areas should be assessed for risk, emergency communication channels should be created, and local security committees should work directly with school heads. Parents and teachers need assurance, but that assurance must come from visible, organised and sustained protection, not occasional statements after tragedy. The lesson from Oyo is that the South West must not wait until terrorists become deeply rooted before acting. Prevention is cheaper, wiser and more humane than rescue after abduction.

The situation now is frightening — Ekujumi

Nelson Ekujumi, human rights activist said, “The situation at hand now is a frightening one, the governments at all levels need to activate citizens security engagements to highlight why we all must be on the same page to ward off this danger and also reinvigorate its security architecture in synergy with state governments in the South West. That way, everyone will be on alert to play their roles because security like we used to say, is everybody’s business.

We must move from response-based to preventive systems — Inegbenijie

Technical Partner at Davijey Integrated Services Limited, Mr. Job Inegbenijie, argued that the current approach allows criminals enough time to strike and disappear before security agencies arrive.

He said, “We have been in this reactive scenario, the kidnap happens, Amotekun goes there. The kidnap happens, the police get there, and they are always too late. That gap is what criminals exploit to carry out violent attacks and escape with victims. The solution lies in shifting from response-based security architecture to preventive systems capable of stopping attacks before they escalate. There has to be a new way of thinking.

“We need proactive anti-intrusion and anti-terrorist systems that can protect schools, farmlands and vulnerable communities while allowing security agencies enough time to respond effectively. For communities across Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states, the concerns are becoming increasingly real. In many rural settlements, residents now live with growing fears that forests and border communities are being quietly exploited by criminal groups as operational bases and transit routes.”

Coordinated regional security strategy focused on intelligence should be adopted — Nwagunma

Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, Mr. Okechukwu Nwagunma, said “the Oyo abduction has exposed critical weaknesses in intelligence sharing, rapid response coordination and rural security coverage. The attacks suggest that forests and remote communities across the region may increasingly be used as hideouts and transit routes by kidnappers and armed groups migrating from other parts of the country.

“Amotekun remains a valuable regional initiative, the security outfit alone cannot shoulder the burden without stronger collaboration among state governments, local communities and federal security agencies. To prevent further infiltration, South-West governments must adopt a stronger coordinated regional security strategy focused on intelligence sharing, forest surveillance, border monitoring and rapid emergency response. Years of neglect of the region’s vast forests and ungoverned spaces have created fertile grounds for insecurity.”

Govs should identify, map vulnerable border communities — Saludeen

Security expert, Dr. Hashim Saludeen, said the first step to secure the South West is for governors in the region to identify and map vulnerable border communities and isolated territories that have largely remained outside government presence. According to him, “These groups believe border communities are easy targets because they are forgotten by the government, that is why they are attacking these areas.

“Relying solely on ‘boots on the ground’ will no longer be enough against criminal groups increasingly deploying technology, drones and coordinated intelligence gathering before launching attacks.

“Modern security transformation comes from intelligence capability, surveillance technology and reconnaissance. There is a need to audit personnel and arms within the regional security structure. The region must ensure accountability and integrity within its security architecture. Beyond government agencies, local communities must now become active participants in intelligence gathering and early warning systems.”

The solution must go beyond weapons and patrol vehicles — Ajayi

Dr. Timi Ajayi, a security and safety expert, said, “The current situation is the consequence of years of complacency and ignored warning signs. We have had early warning signals for more than 10 to 15 years that this menace would spread down, but we waited. Many criminal groups infiltrate communities long before attacks occur, embedding informants and operatives quietly within local populations.

“These people have advanced parties. Some may have settled within communities for years, studying the environment and gaining trust before attacks happen. This is due to poor profiling systems and weak surveillance mechanisms in many South-West communities.

“Before strangers settle within communities, there should be profiling, due diligence and continuous monitoring. Our governors have not done enough, the Nigerian government has politicised security instead of treating it as a priority. We need technology that can immediately engage during an attack. The idea is to buy time, protect victims and allow security agencies to intervene. The solution must go beyond weapons and patrol vehicles.

“There is no development without security. The South-West Development Commission should place regional security coordination at the centre of its agenda. If communities are abandoned, some people may become informants for these groups. The latest attacks may ultimately become a defining moment for the South-West, either as an early warning that prompted decisive action or as the beginning of a deeper security crisis.”

There’s need for increased deployment of surveillance technology — Onayemi

On his part, the Convener of the Yoruba Commitment Forum, Otunba Tayo Onayemi, charged the government to focus more on enforcement of necessary laws, against all forms of criminality in the state. “Governments know there are aggressors, criminals, and innocent victims. The primary duty of the government is the protection of lives and property,” he said.

He advocated the establishment of functional security committees at local government and ward levels involving farmers, herders, traditional rulers, and security agencies. He also called for stronger prosecution of criminal offenders, increased deployment of surveillance technology, and the adoption of structured ranching and grazing policies to reduce recurring conflicts.

Ogun on alert to check rising kidnapping, banditry — Akinmade

Special Adviser to Ogun state governor on Media and Strategy, Hon. Kayode Akinmade, said the state has adopted proactive, intelligence-driven security measures, aimed at neutralising threats before they escalate. According to him, security agencies have intensified coordinated operations across vulnerable locations through joint patrols, stop-and-search exercises, surveillance activities, and bush-combing missions.

He said, “In recent days, combined security operatives carried out extensive forest-combing operations within identified flashpoints, leading to the neutralisation of suspected kidnappers, the arrest of several others, and the rescue of kidnapped victims held within forest corridors. Particular attention was being paid to border communities, isolated settlements, forest corridors, and suspected infiltration routes linking Ogun with neighbouring states.

The government had strengthened intelligence gathering, early-warning systems, and operational collaboration among the Police, Department of State Services (DSS), the military, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Amotekun Corps, hunters, and local vigilante groups. Vulnerable schools and communities within identified operational zones were also being assessed for enhanced protection. The Ogun State government remains proactive, vigilant, and operationally prepared to respond to emerging security threats”.

Govt intensifying efforts to prevent attacks on schools in Ekit — Ogundana

Brigadier General Ebenezer Ogundana (rtd) Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Biodun Oyebanji, has assured residents of Ekiti State that the government and security agencies are intensifying efforts to prevent attacks on schools and public places, amid rising concerns over violent incidents in parts of the Southwest. Ogundana said the state government had identified vulnerable schools and strategic locations across the state and had already put measures in place to secure them against possible attacks.

The retired military officer disclosed that all security agencies in the state recently held a meeting where they resolved to prevent any occurrence of attacks similar to those recorded in some parts of the country. Ogundana noted that the government was not limiting its security measures to schools alone, stressing that marketplaces and areas with large population gatherings were also under surveillance.

His words, “We have identified some of our strategic locations and some of the schools that are likely vulnerable. These schools are safe. All the security agencies in the state met and resolved that we are not going to allow that kind of occurrence in the state.

“The Governor has already given instructions, at least for now, to put on hold all these night occupations, particularly in vulnerable places. We are also looking at marketplaces because incidents can happen where there are large populations during the daytime.If you wait until something happens before saying, ‘I saw this, I saw that,’ it becomes difficult. Security personnel cannot be everywhere. The people in the communities know their environment better. These criminals did not just drop from the air; they came from somewhere.