South West States Tighten Borders Amid Banditry Surge In Kwara
States in the South-West have heightened security amid the surge in killings and attacks on communities by suspected bandits and terrorists in neighbouring Kwara State.
According to The Punch, security chiefs in Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo states confirmed on Thursday that they had activated various containment plans to prevent the infiltration of their states by bandits fleeing the ongoing military operations in Kwara.
This came as the Federal Government uncovered the movement of the bandits heading for the South-West region from Kwara.
The PUNCH gathered that the bandits, who recently attacked several communities and killed many residents in Kwara State, are being tracked by intelligence agencies to ensure they don’t advance to Oyo and the other south-west states.
It would be recalled that Kwara State has experienced a surge in terrorist attacks, particularly on the north-south axis.
On September 29, 2025, suspected bandits killed at least 12 members of a local forest guard unit in Oke-Ode, Ifelodun Local Government Area.
The attack resulted in four wounded individuals and the death of a traditional chief.
Six days earlier, on September 23, suspected terrorists launched a midnight raid on Maganiko Ndanangi community in Edu Local Government Area, abducting a woman and a teenage girl. This incident heightened tension in the area, with many residents fleeing their homes.
In another attack on Sunday, the terrorists killed 15 vigilantes, a traditional ruler, and other residents, abducting five others in the Oke-Ode community.
This plunged the community into grief, with thousands of residents fleeing for fear of renewed attacks.
The hoodlums had also launched coordinated raids on several communities in Patigi and Lafiagi, killing a pregnant woman and abducting at least 18 residents. These attacks have forced many villagers to flee to Ilorin and other safer towns.
The spokesperson for Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotam, had deployed seven tactical teams to Osun communities bordering Kwara to prevent invasion by criminals.
He said, “The command is aware of what is happening in Kwara, and the CP has deployed seven tactical teams in this area, and the intelligence department is also sniffing around for information.
“The area commander has been directed to hold a stakeholders meeting with the traditional rulers to make sure that once they see anything suspicious, they should call the security operatives, and the security agency that is closest to them will respond immediately.”
On its part, the Ondo State Police Command said it was making efforts to prevent the influx of bandits into the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed that the command had increased intelligence in the border communities across the 18 local government areas of the state.
Ayanlade said, “Our hands are on deck to prevent and control the situation. We are increasing manpower and intelligence gathering around those border communities.
“Of course, you can think Kwara is far from us in Ondo, but Kwara is very close. Kwara shares borders with Ekiti and Kogi. All these states border Ondo State, and we have enough space for bandits.
“So, we are deploying mobile police officers to all border communities to mount checkpoints on the roads and forests around those areas so that they can prevent any inward movements from all those states. Those are the things we have been doing.”
The Special Adviser on Security to the Governor of Ekiti State, Brig. Gen. Ebenezer Ogundana (retd.) revealed that necessary measures, including the deployment of security personnel to the boundary communities to prevent bandits from invading the state from Kwara State.
Ogundana, who said the military was doing a great job against the bandits in Kwara, noted the coordinated operation in Ekiti, Oyo, and Osun states to prevent any incursion into the Southwest.
He stated, “We (Ekiti) are in contact with the military in Kwara State so that as they are doing the operation along the border there, we will block them (bandits) here, Oyo will block them, Osun will block them on their own side too. This time around, we don’t want them to infiltrate the South-West. It is a coordinated operation that is ongoing now.”
Speaking further, he added, “For now, we have put all the necessary measures in place. We anticipated it; we are sharing borders with Kogi and Kwara states, and with the way the military is carrying out operations in Kwara now, there is a tendency that they will want to escape from there.
“Thank God, we already have a full-fledged barracks here in Ekiti. The military, police, and civil defence are moving towards the border now. We have just left the state security meeting. We combed a forest this (Thursday) morning, and then all the places we have identified that we can use, we are already moving our men towards such places.
“The General Officer Commanding, coordinating the operation in Kwara State, luckily, is having his own troops here too. So, as they are doing the operation in Kwara State, they are also doing the same thing along our borders, too.
“We expect that they (bandits) will want to run to a safe place, but Ekiti will not be a safe place for them. What we have is beyond patrol; we have physical deployment in all those areas along the border.”
“We have put all the necessary measures in place to prevent any spill-over. This time around, the military is doing a very good job in Kwara State,” Ogundana pointed out.
The Ekiti Amotekun Corps Commander, Brig. Gen. Olu Adewa (retd.), said his men were working with the joint security team and helping with intelligence gathering for the ongoing security operations.
Credit: Punch
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.
