Banditry: Yoruba People Must Rise Up, Defend Their Land — Group

The Isese Welfare Association (IWA) has called on Yoruba people across Southwest Nigeria to unite and defend their communities against rising insecurity, following recent cases of kidnappings, school abductions and killings in parts of the region.

In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its National Coordinator, Oluwo Aderemi Ifaolepin, the group described the growing wave of attacks as a direct assault on Yoruba people, culture and traditional values.

The association specifically condemned the abduction of students, teachers and residents in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and other attacks reported in Oyo, Ondo, Ogun and Ekiti states.

According to the group, the incidents were no longer isolated cases but part of a dangerous trend threatening the peace and survival of the Yoruba people.

“The Isese Welfare Association condemns in the strongest terms the recent wave of kidnappings, school abductions and killings occurring across Yorubaland.

“These heinous acts are an assault on our people, our children, our culture and the sanctity of life that our ancestors held sacred,” the statement read.

IWA said the silence and perceived inaction of traditional rulers and major stakeholders in the face of worsening insecurity were no longer acceptable.

While acknowledging the efforts of security agencies, the association maintained that conventional security measures alone had failed to stem the growing threats across the region.

The group therefore urged Southwest governors and security authorities to incorporate indigenous security systems and traditional intelligence methods into existing security structures.

According to the association, traditional Yoruba communities maintained peace and security for centuries through communal intelligence, organised local defence and spiritual vigilance.

“We call on governors of the Southwest states and all relevant security authorities to formally integrate traditional indigenous security protections and intelligence systems as prescribed in Ifa and upheld by legitimate traditional practitioners,” it stated.

“Our ancestors maintained peace and security in Yorubaland for centuries through a combination of spiritual vigilance, communal intelligence and organised defence.”

The association also called on traditional rulers, political leaders and community stakeholders to set aside differences and work together to confront insecurity.

“The time for division and silence is over. The safety of our people must supersede politics and personal interests,” the statement added.

IWA further demanded stronger protection for schools, farms and sacred sites across Yorubaland, urging authorities to establish community-based vigilance structures and deploy visible security personnel to vulnerable areas.

“Yorubaland is not a land of cowards. Our history is one of courage, wisdom and resilience. We cannot afford to hand over our land and our future to criminals and merchants of violence,” the group stated.

The association reiterated its commitment to peace, justice and the preservation of Yoruba culture and traditional values, while calling for urgent collective action against insecurity in the region.