Growing Insecurity in South-West Nigeria and the Expansion of Terror-Style Violence into Yoruba Communities (Including Kogi & Kwara)
PRESS STATEMENT
Growing Insecurity in South-West Nigeria and the Expansion of Terror-Style Violence into Yoruba Communities (Including Kogi & Kwara)
Issued jointly by: Think Yoruba First (TYF) & TYF Political Action Committee (TYF PAC)
Date: January 7, 2026
Think Yoruba First (TYF) and the TYF Political Action Committee (TYF PAC) express grave concern over the accelerating insecurity across South-West Nigeria and the deepening spread of terror-style violence—kidnappings, mass abductions, ambushes, and coordinated attacks—now firmly encroaching on Yoruba-speaking border communities in Kogi West (Okun axis) and parts of Kwara State.
Today’s killings at Oyo Park further confirm what communities have warned for months: South-West Nigeria is under sustained pressure from organized armed groups exploiting forests, porous boundaries, weak inter-state coordination, and inadequate intelligence fusion. What began as sporadic criminality has evolved into systematic, terror-style operations that target travellers, worshippers, farmers, local security responders, and public spaces.
This pattern threatens commerce, education, agriculture, freedom of movement, and social life—and risks normalizing fear as a permanent condition for our people.
Recent terror-linked incidents affecting the South-West and Yoruba border communities
Without claiming exhaustiveness, the following incidents illustrate the gravity and spread:
•Oyo State: Killings at Oyo Park (today), a public space attack that underscores the audacity and reach of these violent actors.
•Ondo State (Akoko axis): Abduction of travellers and killing of a commercial driver near boundary corridors linking Ondo and Kogi.
•Ondo–Ekiti border routes: Repeated mass abductions along forest-adjacent highways used daily by commuters and traders.
•Kogi State (Kogi West / Okun communities): Attacks on communities and worship centres, including abductions during church services.
•Kwara State: Deadly assaults on local security personnel and attacks on worshippers in border towns, revealing the scale of organization and firepower involved.
These incidents form a continuous insecurity arc across forests and boundary corridors connecting Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, and Lagos to Kogi West and Kwara, with clear signs of coordination, logistics, and intelligence by the perpetrators.
OUR CHARGE TO SOUTH-WEST GOVERNORS‼️‼️‼️
TYF and TYFPAC call on the Governors of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti to treat this crisis as a regional emergency demanding joint action—not fragmented responses.
We demand the immediate implementation of a South-West Joint Security Architecture, including:
1.Regional Intelligence Fusion & Operations Centre
A permanent, 24/7 intelligence hub linking Amotekun, Police, DSS, NSCDC, Immigration, and vetted community intelligence—focused on predictive analysis, not post-incident reactions.
2.Forest & Boundary Security Command
Joint task forces with mapped patrol sectors across forests and boundary corridors, especially Ondo–Kogi, Ekiti–Kogi, Oyo–Kwara, and Ogun border routes.
3.Amotekun Standardization & Upgrade
Unified training, rules of engagement, encrypted communications, mobility assets, and rapid-response units—Amotekun must be operationally effective, not symbolic.
4.Inter-State Road Security Program
Permanent patrols and checkpoints on identified high-risk stretches; immediate repairs of bad roads that facilitate ambushes; emergency response points for travellers.
5. Community Early-Warning & Informant Protection
Structured local security committees, anonymous reporting channels, and strong protection for informants to prevent reprisals.
6.Victim Support & Ransom-Disruption
Coordinated trauma care for victims and families, alongside financial intelligence to trace ransom flows and dismantle kidnapping economies.
