The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has suggested that the South-West security outfit, Amotekun Corps, has been politicised.
Adams also said that insecurity in Nigeria has gradually turned into a “business venture.”
Adams, who spoke in an interview with Vanguard on Saturday, also urged the Federal Government to approve the creation of state police, arguing that the current centralised policing structure had failed to address growing security threats across the country.
According to him, insecurity in Nigeria is worsening because government efforts alone cannot tackle the challenge.
He stated, “I think the situation is getting out of hand as the government is not providing any solution to it. As one of the stakeholders and the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, I have written to the South-West governors to encourage collaboration. I have also called the attention of the media to various fora and held a press conference on this issue, emphasising the need for collaboration.
“Security is not the duty of the government alone, all hands must be on deck so that the South-West and Nigeria in general will be secure.”
He emphasised that establishing a state police force would significantly reduce insecurity if properly structured and funded by both state and local governments.
“Another option is the state police. Every community is under a local government and if we can recruit people from the local government, this issue of insecurity will be reduced. The federal government should approve state police.
“There can be collaboration between the state and local government so as to conveniently fund state police. Local governments can contribute 40 per cent from their allocation while the state will contribute 60 per cent,” he said.
Adams dismissed fears that state police could be abused by political leaders, noting that constitutional safeguards and the judiciary would act as checks.
“That is the excuse people have been giving for more than 30 years and we are living in an unsafe country,” he said.
He added that critics often ignore allegations that the existing federal police structure had also been used for political purposes.
“Are you telling me that the Federal Government has not been using the federal police for political interest, especially during elections?” he asked.
The Yoruba leader also criticised the implementation of the Amotekun security outfit, saying its recruitment process had become highly politicised.
“Even the recruitment into the Amotekun that we agitated for has been highly politicised.
“It was only the first recruitment, especially in Oyo State, that was less politicised, but others have been highly politicised,” Adams said.
He warned that security agencies must prioritise competence and intelligence over political loyalty.
“Some state actors have seen it as a place to give employment to their political followers. The issue of security must not be like that because it is a matter of life and death,” he said.
Adams also raised alarm over attacks on traditional rulers in the South-West, revealing that about seven monarchs had been killed in the region and Yoruba-speaking areas of Kwara State.
“I am highly worried. The terrorists have so far killed about seven monarchs in the South-West and some Yoruba-speaking states in Kwara,” he said.
He noted that insecurity had spread to major cities in the region, including Ibadan and parts of Ogun state, while kidnappings had also been reported in riverine communities of Epe and Ibeju‑Lekki.
According to him, criminal activities in some parts of Lagos state have become organised ventures involving collaborators from different regions.
“It is not only northerners that are involved. There are some people in the South-East and some Yoruba who connive with them. It is an agenda. Some things that happen in Lagos are like a business,” Adams said.
The Aare Ona Kakanfo further disclosed that he had written to South-West governors on several occasions, urging collaboration to tackle insecurity, but received little response.
“I have written letters to the governors twice urging them to collaborate. I told them that I have no fewer than 30 groups on the ground that can collaborate with the government to reduce insecurity,” he said.
He added that a Yoruba Security Conference held in Lagos last year, attended by 33 groups including Afenifere and the Yoruba Council of Elders, produced a 14-point communiqué on security, but no feedback was received from authorities.
Adams warned that failure to address the region’s security challenges urgently could have far-reaching consequences.
“Must we wait until they kill us like chickens before the election of 2027?” he asked.
He reiterated that adopting state police and strengthening community-based intelligence would remain the most effective approach to tackling Nigeria’s growing insecurity.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
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