Following mounting security concerns in the Southwest zone, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke said he has activated layers of the state’s security architecture to protect schools and communities.
In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, Adeleke noted that the approach brings together the state’s formal service commanders with grassroots paramilitary and hunter groups to form a defensive front against banditry.
Adeleke wrote, “In the past few days, I have held extensive security consultations with stakeholders across the state, formal and informal, to strengthen our collective preparedness against emerging threats.
“We began at the grassroots: hunters, OPC, Agbekoya, Amotekun and community-based security groups.
“Today, we escalated to an expanded State Security Council session with service commanders. Every layer of our security architecture is activated and coordinated.”
“Securing our schools, our communities, and our people is non-negotiable, and we are deploying intelligence gathering, strategic collaboration and coordinated action to protect every inch of the state,” the governor added.
Recognising the role of traditional intelligence networks, the governor revealed that he has personally reached out to the Osun State Traditional Council of Obas, through the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
“I have personally reached out to the Osun State Traditional Council of Obas, through the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, and we will soon be meeting with all traditional rulers across Osun.
“They are not just custodians of our culture, they are also the eyes and ears of their domains, and critical partners in community security response,” he wrote.
Adeleke urged residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with the ongoing deployments, saying, “To the good people of Osun: we are watching. We are working. And we will not relent. If you see something, say something.”
The state’s mobilisation comes amid cases of bandit attacks in the Southwest region, particularly the recent attack on May 15 in Oyo State, where armed bandits invaded three schools in the Oriire Local Government Area, abducting dozens of pupils and teachers, and beheading a mathematics teacher in captivity.
