The Department of State Services (DSS) has issued a security alert to stakeholders in Osun State and other parts of the South-West, warning of plans by terrorists to attack public places. The alert was given during closed-door meetings with Christian and Muslim leaders in Osogbo, the Osun State capital. According to the DSS, places of worship, markets, schools, clubs, and viewing centres have been identified as possible targets.
The warning is predicated on credible intelligence that terrorists are advancing plans to create fear and instability ahead of the 2027 general elections. The recent abduction of pupils and teachers from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has raised concerns about the vulnerability of the region to terrorist attacks. On January 6, terrorists attacked the National Park Service office at Oloka Village in the same LGA, killing five forest guards.
The Osun State Muslim Community had earlier raised concerns about 200 herders who entered the state through the Ikirun axis and were subsequently sent away. Unknown persons arriving on motorcycles were also reportedly turned back. The President of the Osun State Muslim Community, Mustapha Olawuyi, said the community had reported these suspicious movements to the authorities.
The Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-political organization, has recalled recent bandit attacks on the Igbeti-Igboho Road and kidnapping incidents in Ondo, Kwara, and Kogi states. The group urged South-West governors to translate their repeated security pronouncements into concrete action. The governors have been accused of behaving as though security is exclusively a Federal Government responsibility.
The South-West governors must build a security architecture capable of detecting threats before they mature into attacks. This includes funding intelligence, communications, surveillance, and rapid-response capabilities. The governors should convene an emergency regional security meeting and treat the DSS alert as a collective threat rather than an Osun problem.
To prevent terrorist attacks, surveillance must be intensified around forests, border communities, isolated settlements, major highways, and transit corridors. Oyo State should deploy its recently acquired surveillance aircraft effectively for intelligence and monitoring. Osun State must immediately strengthen the operational capacity of the South-West security outfit, Amotekun.
Residents, religious institutions, and security agencies must work together to prevent terrorist attacks. Community security structures should gather and transmit intelligence, while apprehension, investigation, and prosecution must remain subject to the law. The justice system must become part of the security response, and arrests must lead to investigations and prosecution where evidence supports it.
Key points
- The South-West region is on high alert following credible intelligence that terrorists are planning to attack public places.
- The DSS has warned of plans by terrorists to create fear and instability ahead of the 2027 general elections.
- South-West governors must build a security architecture capable of detecting threats before they mature into attacks.
