Reports of bandits flooding into the South-West prompted the call.
Comrade Jare Ajayi, the body’s national publicity secretary, issued the call in a statement after Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde expressed concern that bandits who had been dislodged in northern Nigeria were camped in Oyo State.
According to the Bureau Newspaper, Makinde revealed that bandits who have been driven out of the North-West region of Nigeria are infiltrating his state during his remarks at the 2025 annual interfaith service for employees, which was held on Monday at the Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
“Some bad elements from the North-West are moving here because of military heat in their zones,” Makinde stated during a security briefing this morning.
In response, Afenifere said that the disclosure from a state’s chief security officer should not be taken lightly.
“As a matter of urgency, hold a meeting to map out strategies to expel the bandits from the region and to ensure that such elements do not infiltrate Yorubaland at any time again,” the group urged the South-West’s governors.
It is necessary to support specific groups in order to accomplish these goals.
Traditional leaders and the leaders of the local vigilante group known as “Ode” are the security agencies that will carry out any security decisions made, the statement stated.
Afenifere went on to say that any tactics that were developed should include the use of modern technologies to help identify the bandits and their hiding places, appealing incentives, and functional, up-to-date equipment for those who would be on the fields.
Ajayi concluded by warning citizens and security agencies to not take security lightly and that community leaders and traditional leaders in various parts of Yorubaland should not remain silent when they see any signs of a security threat.
For instance, residents of the Fashola area, where the bandits were rumored to have set up camp, were unaware of the serious security threat until members of the public were informed by the governor on Monday.
The statement went on to say, “It is not possible that similar camps could be found in some other parts of the South West, hence the need for urgent and effective action.”
