The alarm by Governor Seyi Makinde that bandits fleeing military bombardments in the North-West are seeking refuge in Oyo State is proof enough of the recurrence of their invasion of the South-West. In 2019, bandits and herders from the terror-impacted northern region infiltrated the South-West forests, villages, and towns. They constituted a huge security menace to the South-West but were soon repelled by the governors. Instead of the futile wait for the shorthanded centre, Makinde’s alarm should nudge the governors to collaborate again to repel the bandits.
Nigeria is a federal state, so the governors should strengthen state-level policing as it is in other federal countries.
At a New Year Thanksgiving service, Makinde said, “During a security briefing this morning, I learned that some bad elements from the North-West are relocating here due to military heat in their zones. During my birthday retreat in Fashola, bandits had camped less than two kilometres from where I was staying. This underscores the seriousness of the situation.” This is petrifying.
The earlier invasion of the forests, villages, and towns in the South-West by herders, unemployed youths and bandits prompted the then governors of Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, and Oyo to establish the Western Nigeria Security Network (Amotekun) in January 2020. The initiative was spearheaded by the Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum and the governor of Ondo, the late Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
Amotekun complements the efforts of the police and other security agencies to secure the region. As the first regional security outfit in the Fourth Republic, the Federal Government and northern hawks resisted it. The governors’ determination paved the way for its establishment.
Amotekun has since proved useful in delivering security to the South-West. It combed the region’s forests and towns to flush the bandits out and ensure the relative peace there.
In Osun, Amotekun has apprehended over 300 suspected kidnappers. In Oyo, human trafficking, ritual killings, kidnapping, and farmer-herder clashes have reduced. During the 2021 Yuletide, Ondo Amotekun arrested 600 suspected criminals and impounded over 550 vehicles. It had prosecuted 600 suspects in the state by mid-2024 and resolved over 500 herder-farmer cases.
The South-West is in danger again because banditry/terrorism in the North-West is unrelenting. The Institute for Security Studies in Dakar, Senegal, estimates there are about 30,000 bandits’ groups in North-West Nigeria “with the groups’ numbers ranging from 10 to over 1,000 fighters….”
While the NBS says in a recent report that the North-West had the highest incidence of reported crime with 14.4 million in the country, Zamfara disclosed in 2021 that bandits collected N970 million as ransom from victims’ families between 2011 and 2019.
The military recently relaunched relentless bombardments in the North, which prompted the bandits to flee.
Therefore, the South-West governors should reboot their security operations to overpower the assailants again. Governors can convene a security summit on this.
The Amotekun officers should be armed with sophisticated weapons and other modern devices. Additionally, the operations should employ technology. Drones should be deployed to police the forests in the zone to flush out the bandits.
The current high insecurity there should persuade the Federal Government to reconsider its decision to disallow Amotekun from carrying high-grade weapons. Indeed, there is no better time to establish state police than now.
Monitoring South-West forests should be a 24-hour business and not limited to challenging times. This calls for proper funding and recruitment of more competent hands for results.
The non-conventional and conventional security outfits – the police, military, DSS, immigration, Amotekun and vigilantes – should synergise and engage in collaborative intelligence gathering and operational activities for effective security delivery.
Security is the primary purpose of government. The Nigeria Governors’ Forum and its regional counterparts should organise security summits to brainstorm on delivering sustainable security to the people.
