Yoruba nation activist and founder of Iru Ekun Security Network, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has vowed to sustain the group’s campaign against bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements across the Southwest.
Igboho made the declaration on Thursday in Akure, Ondo State, where he launched Iru Ekun Security Network and addressed volunteers on the outfit’s operational procedures.
He said security remained a collective responsibility and urged residents, volunteers and conventional security agencies to work together to protect communities, forests and major highways across the region.
According to a statement from Igboho’s media office received in Ibadan, the activist attributed the reported reduction in kidnapping, banditry and herders-farmers clashes in parts of Yorubaland partly to the tactical support provided to Iru Ekun by the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies.
Igboho said the network’s objective was to help restore public confidence in the government’s ability to provide a peaceful and secure environment for socioeconomic development.
“It is visible for all to see that the ignoble activities of rogue herders, bandits, and kidnappers, who hitherto shattered the peace of our agrarian communities and other communities, have subsided since Iru Ekun Security Network began operations backed by the Police, military personnel and DSS operatives,” he said.
He insisted that the security network would continue its operations until forests, highways and agrarian communities in the Southwest became safer.
“We are not backing down or relenting until we make the South-West forests, highways and agrarian communities safe for all,” Igboho said.
He also called for support for the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying the establishment of Iru Ekun had received presidential approval as part of efforts to strengthen security and development in the South-West and other parts of Nigeria.
Igboho said effective security was critical to creating the conditions necessary for economic and social development.
Igboho warns volunteers against acting alone
While briefing newly recruited volunteers in Ondo State, Igboho warned them against confronting suspected criminals without first informing the relevant security agencies.
He directed volunteers who notice the activities of bandits or other criminals along highways linking Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states, or within their local communities, to alert the police and other security agencies before taking action.
He also urged members to remain vigilant during operations, citing the death of one of the network’s members in Iwere Ile during a gun battle with armed bandits.
“We recently lost one of our members in Iwere Ile to armed bandits who killed him during a gun duel,” he said.
Igboho cautioned volunteers to prioritise their safety while remaining committed to the network’s objective of tackling insecurity across the region.
“We are resolute and will not back down on our onslaught against bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements in the South-West,” he said.
He further claimed that incidents of kidnapping, banditry and herders-farmers clashes had reduced in the region and said Iru Ekun would work to sustain the reported improvement.
Ondo monarchs back Iru Ekun
Meanwhile, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State and prominent traditional rulers in the state have expressed support for Iru Ekun Security Network.
Igboho was received at the palaces of the Deji of Akure, Oba Adetoyinbo Aladelusi, and the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin.
The two monarchs, according to the statement, pledged to support the operations of Iru Ekun and urged their subjects to cooperate with security agencies to improve safety and maintain peace in their communities.
The development comes as security remains a major concern across parts of the Southwest, particularly in rural communities, forests and interstate highways vulnerable to attacks by criminal groups.
