morganable neWS/security& justice
In Ogun State, the government said it had also intensified security operations in forests, border communities and other vulnerable locations following the reported killing of Ohida in neighbouring Ondo State.
KaNo—
Governments and security agencies in Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo and Osun states have intensified forest patrols, intelligence gathering and border surveillance following the reported killing of a suspected Islamic State West Africa Province commander, Abdussamad Ohida, in a forest in Owo, Ondo State.
The development has renewed concerns over the use of the vast forest corridors and inter-state routes across the South-West by terrorists, kidnappers, bandits and other criminal groups seeking to establish hideouts or move between states undetected.
Consequently, security authorities in the affected states have stepped up operations in vulnerable forests and border communities, while strengthening intelligence-sharing and collaboration among the police, military, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun corps, hunters and local vigilante groups.
In Ekiti State, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Brig. Gen. Ebenezer Ogundana (retd.), said the six South-West states were collaborating and sharing intelligence on security threats despite maintaining separate operational structures.
Ogundana said the collaboration was aimed at preventing the infiltration of insurgents and other criminal elements into the region and ensuring that security agencies could respond swiftly to emerging threats.
“There is no state in the Southwest that is sleeping as far as security is concerned,” he said.
He explained that security information was being shared among the states, adding that the Amotekun security outfits across the region regularly met under the coordination of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission.
According to him, security advisers from the six states also meet to discuss security developments and strategies for tackling emerging threats.
Ogundana said Ekiti had placed particular emphasis on securing its borders with Kogi, Kwara, Ondo and Osun states because of the possibility of criminal elements attempting to move through forested areas and adjoining communities.
“We are not sitting down in Ekiti and waiting for things to happen. We are at the borders; we have put in place the kind of security arrangements and structures that will prevent them from getting here,” he stated.
He said the state would continue to strengthen its border security architecture and maintain surveillance to prevent the movement of bandits, terrorists and other criminals into Ekiti.
In Ogun State, the government said it had also intensified security operations in forests, border communities and other vulnerable locations following the reported killing of Ohida in neighbouring Ondo State.
The Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said the state had adopted intelligence-led measures, including coordinated patrols, stop-and-search operations, surveillance and bush-combing exercises.
According to him, recent operations in identified forest flashpoints had led to the arrest of suspects, disruption of criminal camps and rescue of kidnapped victims.
Akinmade said particular attention was being paid to border communities and suspected infiltration routes connecting Ogun with neighbouring states.
He added that security agencies and community-based security structures had been brought together to strengthen the state’s response to emerging threats.
“We will not allow any part of the state, including our forests and rural communities, to become safe havens for terrorists, kidnappers or other criminal elements,” he said.
Similarly, the Oyo State Police Command said it was collaborating with sister security agencies to prevent criminals from exploiting forests and border communities in the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, said the command was intensifying efforts to secure the state’s borders and forest areas.
Although he said the command had no information about any specific planned attack, Ayanlade assured residents that security agencies were working together to prevent infiltration.
“Every plan is in place with other security agencies to ensure that we curb any infiltration by anybody or any group. We are doing everything possible to ensure our borders are secured,” he said.
The renewed security operations followed the reported killing of Ohida, popularly known as Anwar, in the Owo forest.
The Ondo State Government commended the security agencies for what it described as an intelligence-led operation, saying the development demonstrated the importance of inter-agency cooperation and intelligence-sharing in confronting emerging security threats.
The state Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, through the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting lives and property.
He also urged security agencies to sustain the momentum and ensure that the operation did not end with the killing of the suspected commander.
Meanwhile, Osun State has also moved to strengthen surveillance across its forests following the incident.
The Special Adviser to the Osun State Governor on Security, Samuel Ojo, told one of our correspondents that the state government would not allow criminal elements to use its forests as hideouts.
Ojo said the Owo incident had further highlighted the need for the state to intensify surveillance and intelligence gathering across its forest areas.
“After the reported killing of suspected terrorists in Ondo State forest, Osun will reinforce surveillance across its forest.
“We won’t allow any criminal gang to use our forest as a hideout to perpetrate crime. We are working with our security agencies to prevent crime by working on intelligence before these criminals act,” he said.
The latest development has revived concerns over the wider security challenges confronting the South-West, particularly the vulnerability of forest corridors and border communities to criminal activities.
Across the region, forests have increasingly attracted security attention because of their difficult terrain and proximity to several states, making them potentially attractive to kidnappers and other criminal groups seeking to evade security forces.
In Ondo, security concerns have previously centred on Owo and surrounding communities, while authorities have also monitored routes linking the state with Ekiti, Kogi and Osun.
Oyo has similarly experienced kidnapping incidents and security alerts in several communities, with security agencies repeatedly warning about the use of forests as hideouts by criminal groups.
Ekiti has also strengthened border security following kidnapping incidents and concerns about the movement of armed groups through forested areas connecting the state to neighbouring communities.
The situation has underscored the importance of cooperation among the six South-West states, particularly because criminal groups can exploit state boundaries and difficult terrain to evade security forces.
Security experts and authorities have increasingly stressed that intelligence-sharing, rather than reactive operations alone, would be critical to preventing criminal networks from establishing footholds in previously peaceful communities.
The latest measures by the states therefore combine forest patrols, border surveillance, intelligence gathering and cooperation with local security structures in an effort to detect threats before they escalate.
For residents of rural communities, the increased presence of security personnel is expected to provide reassurance while also helping authorities identify suspicious movements and possible criminal camps.
Security agencies across the region are expected to remain on alert as the states continue to monitor their forests and border corridors.
The governments have also maintained that the objective is not only to respond to attacks but to prevent criminal and terrorist groups from gaining a foothold in the South-West by detecting and disrupting their activities before they can establish operational bases.
