The Southwest Youths Forum has expressed concern over the rising wave of insecurity in the Southwest, warning that the region’s long-standing reputation for relative peace and stability is under threat.
The forum said the growing incidents of banditry, kidnapping for ransom, farmer-herder clashes and infiltration of criminal elements are now affecting communities across the zone, including Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Lagos states.
In a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, the group’s team lead, Olumide Fasubaa, said the situation had moved beyond distant threats to direct attacks on livelihoods, education and public safety.
“Banditry, kidnapping for ransom, farmer-herder clashes and the infiltration of criminal elements from other regions are no longer distant threats. They have crept into our forests, highways, farmlands, and communities across Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, and even Lagos,” he said.
Fasubaa warned that the region, once regarded as a hub of economic vitality and stability, now risks broader destabilisation if urgent and coordinated action is not taken by state authorities.
