The Gani Adams has accused South-West governors of failing to act on repeated security proposals aimed at strengthening regional defence systems, following the recent mass abduction of students and teachers in Oyo State.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Adams said the attack in Oriire Local Government Area could have been prevented if regional leaders had embraced broader collaboration with grassroots security groups and community-based intelligence networks.
The comments come amid growing outrage over the coordinated raid carried out by armed men on schools in the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota areas of Oriire LGA on May 16. Authorities confirmed that several pupils, students, and teachers were abducted during the attack, while one of the victims, identified as teacher Michael Oyedokun, was later reportedly killed in captivity.
Describing the incident as a dangerous turning point for the South-West, Adams warned that the region was beginning to witness the kind of large-scale school kidnappings previously associated with parts of Northern Nigeria.
“What happened in Oriire Local Government Area is very sad and highly condemnable,” Adams said during the interview. “We have had kidnappings before, but we have not witnessed mass kidnapping in Yorubaland like this. It shows that the South-West must prepare seriously for the issue of insecurity.”
The leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress claimed that for the past two years he had sent proposals and letters to governors across the South-West, urging stronger regional cooperation on security matters, including integration between local hunters, traditional rulers, community intelligence networks, and state-backed security outfits such as Amotekun.
According to him, none of the governors officially responded to the proposals despite repeated warnings about growing criminal infiltration in forest areas across Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states.
“I had written to the South-West governors that there is a need for collaboration on the issue of security,” Adams said. “But for the past two years, they have not replied to me.”
He further argued that local security stakeholders and socio-cultural groups possess valuable intelligence that could help detect criminal movements early, particularly in rural communities and forest corridors increasingly targeted by armed groups.
The comments have intensified debate over the effectiveness of current regional security arrangements in the South-West, especially as incidents of kidnapping and violent attacks continue to spread into previously safer areas.
The attack has also placed fresh pressure on Seyi Makinde, whose administration has faced criticism over the deteriorating security situation in parts of Oyo State.
Governor Makinde recently confirmed that security agencies had arrested several suspected informants allegedly linked to the kidnappers and said joint operations involving the Nigerian Army, Police, Amotekun Corps, and Agro-Rangers were ongoing to rescue the remaining victims.
The governor also reiterated calls for the establishment of state police, arguing that decentralized policing would improve local response capacity and intelligence gathering.
However, Adams insisted that beyond state policing debates, the South-West urgently needs a unified regional security framework capable of coordinating intelligence across state boundaries and involving trusted grassroots actors familiar with local terrain.
Security observers say the Oriire school attack has heightened fears that criminal groups are increasingly expanding operations into the South-West, exploiting porous forests and weak coordination between security agencies.
As rescue efforts continue, the incident has renewed calls for stronger collaboration between governments, local vigilante groups, traditional institutions, and regional security outfits to prevent further attacks on schools and rural communities.
