Kidnapped, Killed, Extorted: Southwest Cries For Help

Until recently, terrorism, banditry and mass abductions were largely associated with other parts of Nigeria. Today, the South-West is increasingly grappling with the same threats, with kidnappings and attacks spreading across highways, rural communities and forest corridors. GEORGE OKOJIE, ADEBAYO WAHEED, ALO ABIOLA, FEMI OYEWESO, DAMILOLA ORIGBEMISUYI and OLAMIDE OJUOKAIYE, report

The security situation in the South West Region of Nigeria has never been grimmer in normal times, with residents of the region living in trepidation, fuelled by news and rumours of kidnapping and terrorist attacks occurring without restraint.

The sense of insecurity ostensibly engendered by the bandits’ activities has created an all-pervasive fear across the land.

Unfortunately, many people seemed resigned to fate as the bandits operate with absolute impunity, making demands and posting recorded videos of their abductees at regular intervals.

The growing wave of kidnappings across parts of South-West Nigeria has become one of the most pressing security challenges facing residents, businesses and governments in the region. What was once perceived as a crime largely confined to the North-West and North-Central zones is increasingly evident in parts of the South-West, raising concerns about public safety, economic activity and investors’ confidence.

The menace has continued to create a climate of fear among citizens, many of whom now worry not only about their personal safety but also about their loved ones. Daily commutes, interstate travel, farming activities, and even routine social engagements are increasingly perceived as security risks.

Reports of abductions on highways, in rural communities and around forest corridors have heightened public anxiety, leaving many residents fearful that they or their family members could be the next victims.

The psychological toll of the threat has been profound, with growing concerns that unchecked kidnapping could erode public confidence in security agencies’ ability to protect lives and property.

The height of it was the abduction of schoolchildren and their teachers by suspected bandits in the Yawota and Ahoro-Esinle communities in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

They were forcibly taken from their schools, leaving their families and communities in distress and uncertainty. On Friday, 15 May 2026, scores of teachers and students were abducted during coordinated attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School; and L. A Primary School, Esiele, in the local government.

As a way out of the current quagmire, security experts have called for a shift from conventional policing methods to technology-driven security operations as kidnapping and banditry continue to spread across parts of Nigeria, including the South-West.

They warned that unless urgent reforms are introduced, particularly in intelligence-gathering and surveillance, security agencies may struggle to contain increasingly sophisticated criminal networks operating across state borders and through forest corridors.

Retired Commissioner of Police and legal practitioner, Barrister Samuel Adetuyi, said Nigeria’s current policing strategy remains largely outdated, relying heavily on stop-and-search operations that are no longer effective for modern crime control.

According to him, many security challenges stem from the failure to adopt digital tools such as surveillance systems, scanners, and intelligence-based monitoring capable of detecting threats before they materialise.

Adetuyi stressed that criminals now operate with sophisticated weapons, making manual policing and forest combing inadequate. He called for a transition to technology-driven systems similar to those used in advanced countries, where surveillance and data analysis play central roles in security operations.

“Criminals today do not use primitive weapons. Kidnappers and armed robbers use sophisticated firearms, including AK-47 rifles and other dangerous weapons. Without modern detection and surveillance technology, combating them is extremely difficult,” he said.

Another security expert and former Police Public Relations Officer, Femi Joseph, also criticised what he described as the government’s failure to prioritise security infrastructure over the years.

Joseph said security agencies remain poorly equipped, noting that modern tools such as drones, aerial surveillance systems, and advanced tracking technologies are either insufficient or unavailable in many formations.

According to him, Nigeria must invest more in logistics, personnel welfare, and technology if it hopes to reverse the growing trend of insecurity.

He said, “When someone is kidnapped, officers are often deployed into forests and bushes in search of the criminals. Why can’t we invest in the necessary technology and equipment to track them effectively? The government treats security as secondary, and as long as that mentality persists, the situation will continue to worsen.”

“Security does not come cheap. The necessary resources must be provided. How many police commands in Nigeria have access to drones for surveillance and monitoring? Very few. Even when kidnappers use victims’ phones to make ransom calls, tracking those phones is often difficult because only a handful of formations have the required technology.”

Regarding the preparedness of the state governments, the Ondo State government said it has intensified its security operations by recruiting 500 operatives into the Amotekun Corps to strengthen border and forest surveillance.

The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, disclosed that forest reserves are being reviewed for possible agricultural use as part of broader efforts to reduce criminal hideouts and improve monitoring of remote areas.

He further stated that individuals entering the state are now subjected to profiling measures, while security operatives have been directed to enhance intelligence gathering and response across vulnerable communities.

Commandant General of the Ogun Amotekun Corps, Brig. Gen. Alade Adedigba (rtd.) pointed out that,’’ What we need to understand is that the South West governments are doing their best and as a testament, that was what led to the establishment of the South West Security Network code-named: ‘Amotekun’. It is a result of their diligent efforts at security in the South West region.

‘’In Ogun state, where I happened to be the head of the Amotekun Corp, I can confidently tell you that the Prince Dapo Abiodun-led administration is doing its best, and his best is presently unequalled.

He said, ‘‘Basically speaking, what should be done to contain the wave of kidnapping, banditry, and other forms of attacks is what we have put in place. There is a strong synergy among the various security agencies, including the Police, the Department of State Security (DSS), the Immigration Service (NIS), and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), among others.

‘‘We have enough personnel to mobilise for any emergency attack, and we have the resources, including weapons and highly trained and experienced operatives.

‘’Let me also remind you that we have our Closed Circuit Camera Television (CCTV) mounted at some strategic locations and hot spots already identified, which are also directly linked to the Zonal operational offices from the headquarters here.

‘’So, at every given security alert, we are monitoring the situation live and consequently connecting with whichever Zonal office where such a security breach is occurring. So, on the surface, that is what I can tell you because security issues are treated with utmost confidentiality.’’

 

Security Overstressed

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Sunday, Chief Executive Officer of Badinson Security Services and security strategist, Matthew Ibadin, said Nigeria’s current security architecture has become overstretched and requires urgent restructuring to address emerging threats effectively.

According to him, the most practical solution is to establish state police and, ultimately, local government police to complement the efforts of federal security agencies.

“The most practical solution is to establish state police and, ultimately, local government police. At present, the Federal Government controls the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Nigeria Police Force, with policing remaining on the Exclusive Legislative List. This centralised structure places enormous responsibility on federal authorities while limiting the ability of states and local governments to respond swiftly to security challenges within their jurisdictions,” he said.

He, however, compared the nation’s security architecture with those of other nations practising federal systems of government. Ibadin opined that security functions are more effective when accountability begins at the grassroots.

“In countries operating true federal systems, security begins at the grassroots. In the United States, for example, when a crime occurs in a community, the first officials held accountable are usually the mayor, county authorities or local police chiefs. Citizens do not immediately turn to the President whenever a crime is committed in their neighbourhood. Responsibility starts at the local level and progresses upward only when necessary,” he stated.

He maintained that Nigeria’s security structure remains overly centralised, resulting in what he described as a “single-tier security architecture” that concentrates policing powers at the centre.

“Nigeria’s current arrangement works in the opposite direction, with security decisions flowing from the centre to the states and local governments. This has complicated the country’s security architecture and weakened its effectiveness. What exists today can be described as a single-tier security architecture in which virtually all policing powers are concentrated at the federal level,” he said.

The security expert stressed that intelligence gathering remains critical to crime prevention, but noted that intelligence alone cannot solve the problem without adequate capacity.

“Intelligence gathering remains a critical component of crime prevention because crime is local in nature. However, intelligence alone is not enough. Security agencies may have information about criminal activities, but without the necessary equipment, logistics, training and operational capacity, that intelligence cannot be effectively translated into action,” he explained.

According to him, the challenge confronting security agencies is not necessarily a lack of information but an inability to act decisively due to inadequate resources.

“The issue is not merely the availability of intelligence but the ability to act on it. Security operatives require modern surveillance tools, protective equipment, communication systems and continuous training to improve their effectiveness. Without these essentials, intelligence gathering becomes significantly less impactful,” he added.

Ibadin commended the Lagos State government’s investments in security infrastructure through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF). While he acknowledged the state’s preparedness for crime control and its preparedness to contain any potential surge in kidnappings,

“I must give credit to the Lagos State Government and the governor. They have done quite a lot through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund. The fund has continued to provide critical support for security agencies operating in the state, and that has made a difference,” he said.

He, however, noted that Lagos remains Nigeria’s economic nerve centre and therefore requires sustained investment in security.

“Lagos is better positioned than many other states because of the investments it has made in security. If anything significant happens in Lagos, the impact will be felt across Nigeria because of the state’s economic importance,” he added.

 

How to curb kidnapping

Also speaking, a retired Major in the Nigerian Army, who requested anonymity, said the fight against kidnapping must move beyond reactive security responses to a proactive, intelligence-driven strategy involving government, security agencies and local communities.

“Kidnapping is not a crime that happens in isolation. Criminal gangs require logistics, informants, safe routes, communication channels and hideouts. If security agencies can effectively disrupt these support structures, kidnapping incidents will reduce significantly,” he said.

The retired officer identified inadequate surveillance and poor monitoring of forested areas across Oyo, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states as factors aiding criminal operations. “We cannot continue to fight a 21st-century criminal enterprise with 20th-century tactics. Technology must become a major component of Nigeria’s internal security architecture. Drones should be deployed for forest monitoring, while intelligence fusion centres should coordinate information from security agencies and local communities,” he stated.

He further advocated stronger collaboration among the police, the military, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Amotekun Corps, and local vigilante groups.

“Security agencies must operate through a unified command framework where intelligence is shared in real time. Kidnappers do not respect state boundaries, so our response should not be constrained by those boundaries either,” he said.

According to him, local communities remain the first line of defence against criminal elements. “Every village, town and community should have an organised security structure linked directly to law enforcement agencies. Residents know their environment better than anyone else. When unusual movements are reported early, security agencies can act before criminals strike,” he noted.

The retired military officer also cautioned against the indiscriminate payment of ransom, warning that it fuels the kidnapping economy. “Every successful ransom payment creates incentives for future abductions. Government must continue to strengthen rescue operations and dismantle kidnapping syndicates while ensuring victims receive the necessary support,” he added.

He affirms that States in the federation should do more to secure the lives of their residents, even as he cited the recent actions by the Lagos State Police Command as demonstrating how proactive policing can help deter criminal activities.

The command has intensified intelligence-led operations, increased patrols in vulnerable communities, expanded deployments around schools and critical infrastructure, and strengthened collaboration with other security agencies.

No doubt, recent operations conducted by the men of the Lagos State Police Command have resulted in the disruption of kidnapping attempts, the arrest and neutralisation of suspected kidnappers, and the recovery of weapons. The command has also maintained rapid-response capabilities while reassuring residents that adequate measures are in place to prevent criminal infiltration through land and waterways.

 

Lack of political will is the problem, says retired Brigadier-General 

Speaking to the LEADERSHIP Sunday in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital,  a security expert, Brig. General Joe Komolafe (retd) said the lack of political will among the majority of Nigerian leaders to nip insurgency in the bud is the reason for the renewed security challenges in our nation.

General Komolafe, who noted that Nigeria has a well -trained military, but available equipment might not be sufficient, said it is important for our politicians and political leaders to have and show the political will to end banditry, kidnapping and insurgency in the country.

The immediate past Amotekun Corps commander in the state said, “My perspective on this is that, the very day they are ready to do that, they will put a stop to all the security challenges in our nation. The political will ensures that they are really ready to fight banditry, and then it will go”.

The retired Army General added that, “The mistake people are making is that they don’t know that the kinetic approach to fighting banditry and insurgency is just 20 per cent, while 80 per cent of it is a soft (non-kinetic) approach, which politicians and political leaders are to handle.

“The military is to handle just 20 per cent of the fight against banditry and insurgency in the country. So, if the political class and the elites in Nigeria are ready to fight the banditry, then the insurgency will end. What they need to do is to have political will to do the right thing, of which they know how to do it and the day they do it, everything will be okay, and peace will return to every part of the country”.

While maintaining that all approaches to tackling banditry and kidnapping in the country should not be only kinetic, i.e., the use of military force, he said that such cannot solve the security problems.

Another security expert, Captain Tony Oyekan (retd), told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the prosecution of the arrested criminals and their facing the wrath of the law will serve as a deterrent to others who may want to engage in such criminal acts and end banditry and kidnapping in the country.

Captain Oyekan partly blamed the security challenges on some political leaders and elites in Nigeria, whom he accused of obstructing justice by allowing arrested bandits and kidnappers to escape prosecution.

According to him, “In my opinion, even when an arrest is made, most of them are not tried in the law Court and prosecuted for the whole world to know about their offences.

“When a person or persons are arrested for either banditry or kidnapping, one may not hear anything again about the case; the best you will hear is that they are in detention, and later they will be released.

“I believe some powerful people are backing these criminals, and if the government takes decisive action and deals with them, then the banditry will be over.

“Those powerful people always order the release of the arrested criminals without prosecuting them; this must stop to end insurgency in Nigeria”.

He stated that soldiers, police and other security agents are suffering at the hands of the bandits as most of them are still carrying outdated weapons, arms and ammunition, while bandits are armed themselves with sophisticated weapons which the Nigerian military doesn’t have.

“So, what do we now want our soldiers and other security agents to do? And they cannot complain about their situation; if they do, they will be punished. The military is just doing as little as they can. So, there is a need to adequately equip our security agents with sophisticated weapons for them to operate effectively”.

On the steps being taken by the state government to contain banditry and kidnapping, the Ekiti State Government had earlier in the year launched a joint security patrol team to tackle all forms of insecurity in the state.

The security team, according to the Special Adviser on Security Matters to the Governor, Brig. Gen Ebenezer Ogundana (retd) was tasked with combing the bushes and securing the borders.

The patrol team comprises the Army, police, NSCDC, DSS, Amotekun, Agro-rangers, vigilante operatives among other security agents.

He said some communities in the state sharing borders with Kogi and Kwara States are already feeling threatened by what is happening in these neighbouring states, and the Governor quickly issued a directive to mobilise and move to the areas.

“We were still carrying out extensive bush combing in those areas, to ward off the bandits and kidnappers that wanted to take charge of those communities bordering Kwara and Kogi states”.

“We don’t want to take things for granted due to incidents happening in some neighbouring states recently, and we are taking care of all the critical areas we know some of these people can use to disturb the peace of the state”.

On his part, the Commissioner of Police, Micheal Falade, stated that there is effective synergy among all the security agencies in this state, and the major purpose of the bush combing operation is first to prevent the influx of criminals into Ekiti State and to checkmate attempts by criminals to infiltrate the state.

“We know that neighbouring states are facing security challenges, and we do not want the influence of those criminals to spread into Ekiti. Prevention is better than a cure. We believe in proactive measures rather than reactive ones.

The operation, according to him, is also to build the confidence of farmers who are now returning to their farms and to ensure the safety of lives and property.

Aside from the sustained bush, forest combing, military stop, search and checking points were also mounted in all Ekiti communities bordering adjoining states like Ondo, Kogi, Kwara, Osun and others to mitigate untoward activities of criminals,’’ he said.

According to him,  ‘’A team of forest guards numbering 50 was also inaugurated by the state government last year to protect and flush out criminal elements from the state’s forest reserves.

 

‘’Marching order was then issued to the team to synergise with the security agencies to flush out kidnappers and other nefarious criminals that are using Ekiti forests as hideouts and inflicting terror on the citizens.

 

As it concerns Oyo, the hotbed of insecurity in the region, security experts have advised the Oyo State government to invest aggressively in aerial surveillance technology, overhaul its intelligence-gathering mechanisms, and enhance the capabilities of local security networks to outmatch heavily armed criminal groups.

 

Speaking on the security situation in the state, Colonel Yakubu Anifowose (rtd) made key strategic recommendations, including transitioning from reactive policing to proactive defence by acquiring and deploying surveillance drones and helicopters along volatile highways and forest fringes to track kidnappers and bandits.

 

He called on the state government to strengthen the Amotekun Corps with better intelligence-gathering training, greater localised community participation, and upgraded equipment to effectively comb remote and ungoverned spaces.

 

According to him, the government should capitalise on frameworks like Executive Order No. 1 to regulate, monitor, and coordinate non-state security groups and associations, ensuring they submit monthly operational reports to the government.

 

He urged the government to collaborate directly with telecommunication agencies to digitally track kidnappers through their satellite and mobile equipment, making it easier to pinpoint hideouts before crimes occur.

Another serving security expert, who pleaded for anonymity, called for enhanced inter-state intelligence with a view to deepening intelligence-sharing corridors with neighbouring states like Ogun to monitor the movement of suspected bandits and prevent criminal infiltration into border communities.

He suggested that residents should remain highly vigilant, report suspicious activities to authorities immediately, and exercise due diligence in security and character checks when leasing properties to prevent the establishment of hideout units.