Afenifere Raises Alarm Over Rising Kidnappings In South-West, Demands Heavy Arms For Amotekun
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has expressed deep concern over the worsening wave of kidnappings and violent crimes across Ogun, Oyo, and Osun States, warning that current regional security measures are failing to protect residents.
In a press statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, the group condemned a string of recent abductions across Yorubaland and called for urgent structural, operational, and social interventions—including equipping the Western Nigeria Security Network (Amotekun) with modern, high-grade weapons.
Afenifere’s outcry follows last Tuesday’s abduction of travellers along the Ijebu-Ode–Ibadan Road, where gunmen demanded a ₦25 million ransom for victims that included a recently discharged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Mr. Dapo.
The group also pointed to a recent kidnapping at the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) along the same corridor, noting it was a repeat of a similar attack at the institute just months earlier.
Other recent attacks cited by the organization include the beheading of a farmer in Itesiwaju Local Government Area and the abduction of Prince Michael Folarin in Igbeti, both in Oyo State; the kidnapping of poultry farmer Mr. Ooreoluwa Osonuga in Ogun State; and the abduction of Honourable Debo Farounbi in Ora, Osun State, alongside ongoing incidents in Kwara, Kogi, and Niger States.
While acknowledging that several victims were eventually rescued or released, Ajayi stressed that existing state and regional efforts—such as the Lagos-Ogun Operation Kosaye and joint governors’ security summits—have proven insufficient.
“The fact that insecurity, particularly kidnapping, persists on our land suggests that current measures are not enough. There is a need for more focused, strategic, and better-coordinated actions from the authorities and security agencies in conjunction with local communities,” Ajayi stated.
Beyond immediate tactical responses, Afenifere linked the insecurity crisis to youth neglect and illiteracy.
Echoing recent warnings by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, on the dangers of out-of-school children in Northern Nigeria, the group recalled the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s 1959 and 1979 admonitions that denying youths education creates a vulnerable population easily recruited into crime.
To permanently dismantle kidnapping and banditry networks in the region, Afenifere proposed an eight-point action plan for federal and state governments:
• Upgrade Amotekun’s Firepower: South-West governors should procure modern, high-grade weapons for Amotekun operatives to match the sophistication of armed bandits.
• Deploy Surveillance Technology: Authorities should invest in drones, modern communication gadgets, and rapid-response systems to monitor ungoverned forests and border areas.
• Form Joint Tactical Squads: Conventional security agencies and local outfits must be integrated into coordinated tactical squads for sustained forest patrols.
• Grant Local Government Autonomy: Full financial autonomy should be given to local government councils to directly fund grassroots policing and rural patrols.
• Expand Youth Employment: Governments must establish mechanized farming and vocational training initiatives, alongside welfare programs, to take children off the streets and dry up bandit recruitment pipelines.
• Enforce Strict Penalties: The judiciary must hand down uncompromising punishments to deter violent crimes and banditry.
• Strengthen Grassroots Intelligence: Traditional rulers (Obas and Baales) and community leaders must coordinate neighborhood watches, screen new arrivals in rural settlements, and establish bottom-up reporting chains to alert security agencies of suspicious movements.
