Yoruba activist says outfit has been registered and approved by President Tinubu; calls on all Yoruba people to unite against criminals
Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Adeyemo, widely known as Sunday Igboho, has formally announced the establishment of a regional security outfit aimed at combating rising violent crime across South-West Nigeria.
The outfit, named the “Iru Ekun Security Network,” is designed to tackle terrorism, kidnapping, and violent crimes in the South-West. The name “Iru Ekun” translates literally to “the tail of a leopard” in the Yoruba language.
In a viral video obtained by newsmen in Ibadan on Monday, Igboho said the network has been duly registered and officially approved. “I want to call on all Yoruba people to work together so that we can flush criminals out of our forests and reserves. We must not allow them to continue operating among us,” he said.
Igboho claimed that the security outfit had been registered and presented to President Bola Tinubu for approval, and called on Yoruba people across the world to unite in protecting their communities and forest reserves from criminal elements.
The announcement follows a period of intensifying insecurity in the region. The call for decisive action is directly tied to a recent security breach in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where bandits launched coordinated raids on Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, alongside Community Grammar School. The attacks resulted in the abduction of several pupils and, according to reports, the killing of a mathematics teacher.
Igboho said the “Iru Ekun Security Network” was prepared to work closely with conventional security agencies, including the police, the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, to strengthen security operations in the region.
Igboho also said he was ready to comply with an executive order issued by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde seeking to regulate the activities of private security groups in the state. “We are ready to support and cooperate with measures aimed at strengthening the security and peace in Oyo and other states in Yorubaland,” he said.
Igboho also addressed the religious dimension of the crisis, insisting that the violence was not a religious conflict. “What is going on is not a religious war. I am a Christian and my second wife goes to Mecca. Let’s leave religion aside,” he said, adding that anyone found operating in South-West forest reserves should be treated as a criminal.
Igboho further commended President Tinubu for what he described as a renewed commitment to improving the country’s security architecture, noting that the administration appeared determined to confront insecurity across all regions, particularly areas heavily affected by violent crimes.
Igboho also called on traditional rulers to intervene by urging government authorities to facilitate the swift takeoff of the Iru Ekun Security Network in order to end the upsurge in insecurity plaguing the South-West.
The network is described as a voluntary organisation, and its operational rollout is expected to follow formal government clearance.
