Gani Adams Pushes for Security Overhaul in South-West

By Juliet Ezeh

Aare Ona Kakanfo Gani Adams has called for a coordinated security overhaul in the South-West following the killing of Ondo monarch Oba Kehinde Falodun. He urged federal and state governments to collaborate with regional stakeholders to tackle kidnapping and banditry.

Gani Adams Pushes for Security Overhaul in South-West

By Juliet Ezeh

The Gani Adams, Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, has called for an urgent restructuring of the South-West security framework following the assassination of Oba Kehinde Falodun in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.

Adams described the killing of the monarch at his palace as a direct attack on traditional authority and an indication that criminal networks have deepened their infiltration across the region. The monarch was reportedly murdered after resisting an attempt by gunmen to abduct him, a development Adams characterised as tragic and embarrassing.

According to him, the incident must serve as a turning point for governors in the South-West and the Federal Government to move beyond routine condemnations and implement a coordinated regional security strategy. He stressed that the region requires a decisive recalibration of Nigeria’s security architecture to combat the rising cases of kidnapping, banditry and violent attacks in forests, rural settlements and urban communities.

Adams warned that the growing pattern of attacks across the South-West and parts of North-Central Nigeria suggests organised infiltration rather than isolated criminal incidents. He noted that recent cases in Oyo State, Osun State, Ekiti State and Ogun State, as well as in Kwara State and Kogi State, demonstrate that buffer zones around the region have been compromised.

He reiterated the readiness of the South-West Security Stakeholders Group, a coalition comprising more than 30 security-related subgroups, to collaborate closely with state governments, federal authorities and traditional institutions to restore safety. Adams maintained that intelligence sharing, forest surveillance operations and stronger grassroots security coordination would be critical in reversing the trend.

Emphasising the symbolic weight of the monarch’s killing, he said it was unacceptable for a traditional ruler to be murdered in such circumstances, warning that failure to respond decisively could further weaken public confidence in security institutions.

He therefore urged both federal and state authorities to strengthen security measures and foster structured collaboration with key traditional and community stakeholders, insisting that unity and coordinated action remain the only sustainable path toward peace and stability in the South-West.