Southwest Governors Move to Establish Joint Security Outfit to Counter Rising Banditry, Insurgency Threats

Amid rising concerns over the renewed spate of banditry and insurgency in the Southwest, the Governors Forum is set to unveil a cutting-edge joint security initiative to bolster regional safety and counter the looming threats.

The state chief executives acknowledged the threats posed by ISWAP activities in the zone and resolved to take necessary actions to counter the threats.

The initiative is contained in an 11-point communique at the end of a one-day governors meeting held at “Lagos House” in Ikeja on Thursday.

In attendance were Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Biodun Oyebaniji (Ekiti), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Ademola Adeleke (Osun) as well as the host governor and chairman of the forum, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

They resolved to encourage enhanced collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force and local security outfits, while urging them to remain vigilant.

They also agreed to establish joint food hubs to address the growing food prices in the region.

The meeting also deliberated on common interests and key regional issues including agriculture, food security, economic collaboration and the South-West Development Commission.

Sanwo-Olu, who read the communique, said: “The Forum commends the South-West governors for maintaining relative peace and security in the region, particularly during the recent festive period.

“Acknowledging the threat posed by ISWAP activities in parts of the South-West, the Forum strongly condemns any threat to the region’s security.

” It encourages enhanced collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force and local security outfits, urging them to remain vigilant. It also commits to taking necessary actions to counter these threats.

“It further agreed to establish a Joint Surveillance Monitoring Team to oversee and coordinate security efforts across the South West region.

“Additionally, the Forum resolved that its Special Advisers on Security would collaborate on intelligence gathering and sharing between states security agencies, local security networks and Federal law enforcement authorities.”

On the establishment of the South West Development Commission (SWDC), the governors said: “The Forum commends the Federal Government and the Senate for establishing the commission and collectively agreed to situate its headquarters at Cocoa House, Ibadan, Oyo State.

“It acknowledges the efforts of Odu’a Investment Company Ltd. in efficiently managing joint assets of the South-West region over the past five years.”

On food security, the forum stated: “Recognising the need for food security, the Forum encourages collaboration among South West States to implement collective measures aimed at curbing food inflation in the region.

“It expresses concern over the activities of unscrupulous middlemen who deliberately inflate prices of goods and commodities in South-West markets.

“It has, therefore, agreed to establish a State Food Inflation Joint Monitoring Team and also the establishment of Aggregation Centre /Food Hubs to foster inter-state collaboration and mitigate food inflation.”

The governors noted with satisfaction the performance of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission (DAWN).

They urged the body to continue to work diligently with Commissioners for Agriculture in the zone on industrialization and infrastructural development across the region.