Crime
S’West Govs unite against ISWAP elements, bandits
Raising the concern at the 2025 annual inter-faith service for workers held at the Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, Makinde said, “During a security briefing this morning, I learnt that some bad elements from the North-West are relocating here due to military heat in their zones. But we will find and deal with them.”
The Ogun State government also said it had contacted relevant security agencies, including the military and the police.
The Department of State Services recently arrested 10 suspected members of ISWAP in Ilesa, Osun State.
The arrest came to public knowledge when the DSS sought an order of a Federal High Court in Abuja to detain the suspects for 60 days, an order Justice Emeka Nwite granted last week Friday.
In the same vein, the Oodua People’s Congress urged all the six governors of the South-West to treat as a security emergency the building of camps inside Yoruba land forests by insurgents and terrorists fleeing the North, as it offered to help security agencies tackle the menace.
Govs are consulting
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, noted that he is consulting with his counterparts in Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states.
His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, said the governor, who is also the chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum, receives daily intelligence on the state of security in the region.
Akosile said the governor was prepared to handle security matters in the region, adding that he was well briefed on the issue.
“There is no empirical evidence that there are bandits in the South-West but on matters of security, you can never be over-prepared.
“The governor is receiving intelligence reports on different matters and he is in consultation with other governors from the South-West on how best to tackle the growing concern over security issues in the region,” Akosile told our correspondent in an interview.
“If you recall the inaugural meeting of the South-West Governors Forum, one of the major topics raised at the meeting was the security of the region, so they’ve been meeting on some of the ways to checkmate insecurity in the South-West.
“Basically, they’re studying the situation and there will be something done at the end of the day,” he added.
Speaking on the security situation, the Oyo State government assured residents that he would leave no stone unturned to ensure the safety of everyone in the state.
The government, during a press briefing after the state’s joint security council meeting on Tuesday, said all hands were on deck to fish out the bandits and use the instrumentality of the law to deal with them.
The Special Adviser on Security to Oyo State Governor, Fatai Owoseni, in a statement by the Special Adviser (Media) to Oyo State Governor, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, urged the people to go about their lawful activities without any fear.
Owoseni said with the robust synergy among the security agencies in the state, the bandits and other criminal elements had nowhere to hide.
He also confirmed that Oyo was collaborating with neighbouring states in the region to secure its borders and guard against the influx of bandits.
He noted that to strengthen the security network in the state, the council would hold expanded meetings that would incorporate local government chairmen as well as traditional rulers.
“The essence of this is to ensure that we take security to the grassroots. The local government administration is the third tier of government and is the closest to the people.
“In the same vein, traditional rulers are close to the people and know most people in their domains.
“By integrating them into the security network, we are taking security to the grassroots and carrying everyone along. Security is everybody’s business and we all have a role to play in ensuring that our state is safe from the antics of bandits and other criminal elements,” Owoseni said.
He said that the council also discussed decongesting correctional centres, adding that the state would invoke its power of prerogative of mercy to set free some of the inmates.
Also, the Osun State government said it was providing necessary support for security agencies to make the state unsafe for suspected terrorists and other criminals.
It assured residents that efforts were being geared towards keeping the state safe.
Ojo said “If the government is not working, will they (ISWAP members) be arrested? So, the government is assisting the security agencies to ensure that criminals are arrested and sent away from our state.
“The state is not a place for any criminal and that is why they were nabbed at the earliest stage.”
Allaying fears of possible infiltration by terrorists hiding in neighbouring states to Osun, Ojo, who demanded timely intelligence from the people, particularly residents of boundary communities, said security agencies were working hard to provide security for lives and properties.
“There is no need for them (residents of boundary communities) to panic. Security agencies are working round the clock. The residents should sleep with their two eyes closed without panicking. The DSS and other security agencies are working very hard to make sure they pick others that may be hiding,” Ojo said.
The government also said 84 illegal migrants were arrested while entering the state, adding that those arrested could not explain their mission.
Ojo said Immigration operatives intercepted the foreigners and, after checks, they were made to return to their country through Cross River State.
When asked if those reportedly arrested had been profiled to get further details about them, Ojo said, “Nobody was intercepted from the North. The immigration arrested about 84 migrants and they have been transported back to their country through Cross-River State.
He, however, did not disclose the country where the illegal immigrants came from.
The Corps Commander of Osun Amotekun Corps, Mr Adekunle Omoyele, said the agency had received full support from the state government, adding that the operatives were motivated and supported to fight insecurity.
“In Osun State, the governor is fulfilling his promises to Amotekun by providing substantial funding. He has purchased motorcycles for the corps, which have been distributed across the state commands.
The OPC, in a statement by its President, Wasiu Afolabi, on Sunday urged all the six governors of the southwest to treat as a security emergency, the building of camps inside forests by insurgents and terrorists fleeing the North.
“These foreign Fulani terrorists have always said that after conquering the North, the South will be next. Now it is happening.
“But the OPC is ready to let these evil dreamers know that Yorubaland can never be conquered or occupied by foreign invaders. Let the six governors of Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ondo and Ekiti states invite us to deal with this menace today before it is too late.
“We have the men and capacity to confront these foreign invaders physically, militantly, technologically and spiritually. All we are demanding from South-West governors is the necessary invitation, equipment and support to do what is needed to wipe out this menace of foreign criminals,” Afolabi said.
The Edo State Government has ordered the temporary closure of three public secondary schools in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area following intelligence reports of a potential kidnapping threat targeting students.
The affected schools are Ososo Grammar School, Ososo Comprehensive High School and Makeke Secondary School.
The directive, issued through the State Ministry of Education, followed security advisories warning of possible attacks on educational institutions in the area.
In a circular signed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Enodolomwanyi Otamere, the government said the closure was a precautionary measure aimed at protecting students, teachers and host communities pending further security assessments.
Sources familiar with the development revealed that intelligence gathered by security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), indicated that suspected criminal elements were plotting attacks on schools in Edo North Senatorial District.
According to the sources, kidnappers may have shifted focus to schools after previous attempts to abduct wealthy individuals reportedly yielded little financial gain. Security operatives were also said to have intercepted information suggesting that attacks on schools could attract quicker attention and higher ransom payments.
Tension heightened after the arrest of a suspect allegedly caught conducting surveillance around Makeke Secondary School in early June. Investigators believe the development may be connected to the reported threat.
Following the intelligence reports, security agencies advised the state government to take preventive measures, including strengthening security around schools and other public facilities. Recommendations reportedly included increased patrols, enhanced intelligence gathering and closer collaboration with local vigilante groups and community security outfits.
The ministry announced that all academic and administrative activities in the affected schools have been suspended until further notice.
However, candidates participating in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) will continue to sit for their papers under enhanced security arrangements.
The government said security personnel and community stakeholders would work together to ensure the safety of examination candidates throughout the exercise.
School authorities have been directed to facilitate the safe return of students to their parents and guardians, secure school facilities and maintain close communication with security agencies during the closure period.
The state government appealed to residents to remain calm and cooperate with security personnel, assuring them that efforts are underway to neutralise any threat and restore normal academic activities as soon as possible.
Gunmen have abducted the Vice Chairman of Ifedayo Local Government Area of Osun State, Hon. Debo Farounbi, during an attack on Ora community along the Osun/Kwara boundary.
The incident reportedly occurred around 10 p.m. on Tuesday when the armed men invaded the community and fired several gunshots into the air, throwing residents into panic.
Farounbi was reportedly abducted alongside three other persons during the attack.
However, security operatives, including military personnel and local vigilantes stationed in the area, engaged the attackers in a gun battle, forcing them to abandon three of the victims.
According to residents, the gunmen eventually escaped with Farounbi after the exchange of gunfire.
One resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the attackers had initially succeeded in moving the victims toward a nearby bush before security operatives intervened.
“Four people, two Fulani women and two men including the Ifedayo Local Government Vice Chairman, Debo Farounbi were abducted. But the resistance put up by the military made the perpetrators to abandon three people.
“They however went away with Farounbi. Our people did not sleep throughout the night. We are in serious fear. The incident happened around 10 p.m. on Tuesday,” the resident said.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, said security agencies had launched efforts to rescue the council vice chairman.
“One person was abducted. He is a local government vice chairman, Hon. Debo Farounbi. Immediately the incident happened, the military, police and others responded. Efforts are in place to rescue the man. It is abduction until we are able to prove that it is a case of kidnapping,” Ojelabi stated.
A middle-aged woman has been arrested by the police in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State for allegedly throwing her five-year-old physically challenged son into a river after a self-proclaimed prophet reportedly told her that the child was a python.
The suspect was apprehended by angry residents shortly after the incident at a riverbank in the community.
According to reports, the woman confessed that she acted on the instruction of a spiritualist based in Benin City, who allegedly convinced her that the child was responsible for her inability to have more children.
The woman explained that she had suffered several miscarriages after giving birth to the child and sought spiritual assistance in an effort to overcome her fertility challenges.
In a video circulating on social media, the suspect reportedly said: “Every pregnancy ended in miscarriage. A seer told me to put my five-year-old child inside the river and that I would be able to give birth again. The seer said if I put my baby inside the river, the child would turn into a python.”
She claimed the spiritualist convinced her that the physically challenged child was a spiritual obstacle preventing her from conceiving successfully.
Acting on the alleged advice, she reportedly took the child to a nearby river and threw him into the water.
Residents who noticed her suspicious movements near the riverbank reportedly rushed to the scene but arrived after the child had already been thrown into the river.
The woman was immediately detained by community members and later handed over to law enforcement authorities.
The incident has sparked outrage among residents, child rights advocates and public health experts, who condemned the role of superstition and misinformation in the tragedy.
The suspect is currently in police custody and is expected to face prosecution.
Meanwhile, community leaders and human rights groups have called for the arrest and prosecution of the self-styled prophet alleged to have influenced the woman to commit the act.
Police authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
The Enugu State Police Command has dismissed as false a viral social media report alleging that armed herdsmen attacked a school in Ezeagu Local Government Area of the state.
The Command said investigations and security assessments conducted following the circulation of the report confirmed that no such incident occurred in Ezeagu or any other part of Enugu State.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the Command described the report as a deliberate fabrication capable of creating fear, panic, and confusion among residents, particularly school administrators, teachers, students, and parents.
According to the police, operatives immediately carried out on-the-spot security assessments, intelligence gathering, operational checks, and discreet investigations, all of which established that the alleged attack never took place.
The Command condemned the spread of false information and warned that those responsible for originating and disseminating the report would be identified and prosecuted.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has directed the Command’s Tactical and Intelligence Units to intensify efforts to track down the perpetrators and ensure they face the full weight of the law.
The police boss reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property and maintaining peace and public order across Enugu State.
He urged residents to disregard the report, remain calm and vigilant, and continue to report suspicious activities to security agencies.
The Command also encouraged members of the public to make use of its emergency lines — 08032003702, 08086671202, 112, 09134666668, and 09134448093 — to report security concerns.
The police reiterated that misinformation and alarmist reports pose a threat to public peace and warned against the dissemination of unverified information capable of causing unnecessary panic.
This is as the abducted Principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, Mrs Rachael Alamu, in an emotion-laden voice in another viral video on Monday, begged Nigerians not to allow the government to deceive the world that bandits requested Sharia Law to be enshrined in the country for their release.
The coordinated abduction had taken place on Friday, May 15, 2026, around 9:30 a.m, while those whisked away had remained in captivity since then.
The Nigerian Union of Teachers ordered members across the state to commence a strike until the rescue of the kidnapped victims, while protests were held across the country last week.
One of the protesters, Kehinde Dahunsi, said, “What will it take for both the government at the centre and the state government to rescue our beloved ones since May 15. This is so pathetic.
“The former Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu’s biological sister and her twin children (Peter and Paul), as heard on radio, television stations, and read in the pages of newspapers, were kidnapped early hours on Wednesday, June 3, and were rescued on Saturday, June 6, 2026. Just three days interval.
“But our people have been in captivity for 25 days now. Why shouldn’t governments also apply the same mechanism used to rescue the ex-minister’s sister and her two sons to rescue our family members?” he lamented.
In the now-viral video, Alamu, in a distress call from the kidnappers’ hideout, begged Nigerians to circulate the video and not play politics with their lives.
“Today makes it the 24th day that we have been in this place. And it seems that some people are making our problems complicated already.
“We were shown some print media where it was stated that these people that abducted us requested the release of some people. They requested a billion naira; they requested that Sharia be enshrined in the country. These are not true. They are just trying to create a problem for us.
“We have been here since, we have not been forced to worship in an Islamic way. We have been left alone. They have not troubled us concerning that. They are not asking for Sharia law; they are not asking for money.
“The single thing they are looking for is the release of some of their people. I don’t know why they are peddling this rumour to make it complicated for us.
“Please, we are begging you, please, don’t play politics with our lives. Nigerians, please, help us to circulate this, let it go viral.
“They are not asking for Sharia law. It’s not true. They are not asking for weapons; they are not asking for money. All they want is the release of some people, and the government should negotiate with them and know those whom they will release for them.
“I don’t know why they are playing politics with our lives. Please, Nigerians, our lives are in your hands. Please, help us make it go viral. Don’t let the government deceive the whole world.”
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