The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has raised the alarm over what he described as a growing infiltration of terrorist elements into several communities across the South-West.
Speaking during an interview with Central TV at his Lagos residence, Adams said intelligence at his disposal indicates that armed groups are laying the groundwork for coordinated attacks in the region.
“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.
Adams noted that developments in neighbouring Kogi and Kwara states — which he described as strategic buffer zones to the South-West — suggest that armed groups are testing tactics ahead of broader operations.
“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 actors behind the threat, Adams linked the activities to armed factions operating in northern Nigeria, saying his claims were based on credible intelligence 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 further alleged that some foreign actors were involved in coordinating the activities of the groups.
“I can say authoritatively that some foreigners are coordinating this. It is not limited to Nigerians alone,” he stated.
Adams added that the motivations behind the threats vary across the groups, driven by political, economic and ethnic interests.