Ooni of Ife Mentions What Must Be Done as He Confirms Bandits Moving Toward S'West

• The Ooni of Ife declared that the entire South West had backed President Tinubu’s efforts to confront Nigeria’s security challenges
• Oba Ogunwusi warned that politicising insecurity had weakened national unity and insisted that traditional rulers and political leaders must work together
• The monarch confirmed that hostile groups had been moving toward the South-West and said regional defence networks had been strengthened to repel them

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has urged political and community leaders to prioritise national stability over partisan rivalry as the country confronts rising security threats.

He said the entire Southwest has resolved to rally behind President Bola Tinubu in the effort to restore calm across Nigeria.

The monarch expressed concern over the intensifying incursion of hostile groups toward southern territories. He noted that the region had become fully aware of these movements and was prepared to repel them.

South-West alignment on security

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Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Oba Ogunwusi cautioned against turning national troubles into political weapons. He said Nigeria’s welfare must take precedence over personal or party interests.

“God has brought our leader, the current President, President Bola Tinubu, to lead us. Traditional leaders are not talking about politics; we are talking about how to save our people and our race. That is way beyond politics. So, for us, we have concluded; the entire South West to pass a vote of confidence on President Bola Tinubu. We need to support him to save Nigeria; it’s very important,” he said.

He criticised the tendency to attack leaders without offering practical alternatives. According to him, national challenges demand cooperation rather than rivalry.

Call for unity between rulers and politicians

The Ooni explained that traditional rulers remain closest to local communities and understand the pattern of emerging threats.

He insisted that royal institutions must work directly with elected officials for stronger response systems.

“What we’ve realised, and it’s the truth, is that Nigeria is bigger than all of us. And we are the people who are involved in the country, Nigeria, and we need to protect everything that has to do with the country.

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We traditional rulers, the traditional institution, we’re the closest to our people. We know the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s very important now we need to actually close the ranks with our political leaders. It is very obvious they cannot do it alone,” he said.

He warned that political rivalry had contributed to the deterioration of national safety. He recalled a time when Nigerians travelled freely across regions without fear of banditry.

Resistance to creeping threats

Asked about intelligence pointing to the gradual entry of terrorists into the Southwest, the monarch confirmed the development and disclosed that local structures were being strengthened to counter it.

“Yes, we have discovered that, and that’s the truth, and that’s the reason why we’re coming together. We are enforcing and strengthening our local guards; we are very strong. We, traditional institutions, we’re very strong when it comes to that,” he said.

He added that the region had adopted strategies rooted in its historical defence culture and that local hunters and forest guards had become central to new security arrangements.

The Ooni vowed that any intruding groups would be confronted and pushed back. He said the region’s history of resilience would not be broken.

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“So, for us, we are facing it headlong. We have intelligence information. They are coming closer to us, and we’re going to send them back,” he said.

I know the whereabouts of bandits - Zamfara gov

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara state had declared that he has the capacity to end banditry in the state within two months if given direct control over security agencies.

He said he knew the precise locations of the bandits terrorising the states by kidnapping residents and killing indiscriminately and unjustifiably.

Governor Lawal, however, mentioned one thing that was stopping him from arresting the bandits despite knowing their location.

Source: Legit.ng