The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has warned that armed groups have infiltrated multiple communities across the South-West with intentions to launch coordinated attacks.
Adams gave the warning during an interview with Central TV at his Lagos residence, noting that intelligence available to him points to a growing and imminent threat.
“We are at a point where the security situation in this country has become deeply troubling. Recent incidents across numerous states show clearly that Nigeria is facing a serious security threat.
“Credible information available to us indicates that terrorists have already infiltrated many communities in Yorubaland,” he said.
He added that developments in neighbouring Kogi and Kwara states, two regions he described as “buffer zones” to the South-West, suggest that armed groups are testing tactics ahead of broader assaults.
“What they are doing in Kogi and Kwara is simply to test the terrain before launching major attacks. The intelligence we have shows that they are targeting Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo and even Lagos State,” he alleged.
When asked to identify the groups involved, Adams linked the threats to various armed factions operating in northern Nigeria, noting that his assertions were based on information obtained from undisclosed sources.
“These are the same groups responsible for daily attacks in different parts of the country. Sometimes they are labelled as bandits, sometimes as violent herdsmen.
But beyond that, we know that international terrorist organisations such as ISIS, ISWAP and Boko Haram also operate in Nigeria. There are also splinter groups that broke away from them,” he said.
He claimed that foreign elements were involved in coordinating some of the alleged activities.
“I can say authoritatively that some foreigners are coordinating this. It is not limited to Nigerians alone,” he asserted.
Adams added that the forces driving the unrest differ from group to group, with motives ranging from political and economic interests to ethnic agendas.
