Governors of Nigeria’s South-West region convened an emergency meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Monday to address escalating security challenges.
The summit resulted in the adoption of comprehensive regional security and development measures.
Hosted at the Oyo State Government Secretariat, the meeting was attended by Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti).
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State was represented by his deputy, Kola Adewusi.
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The emergency summit aimed to review collaborative security initiatives, accelerate infrastructural development, and strengthen regional integration under the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN).
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum, Sanwo-Olu, read a communiqué outlining ten key resolutions focused on enhancing regional security.
The governors agreed to establish a regional security fund, to be domiciled under the DAWN Commission and administered by the Forum of Special Advisers on Security, who will meet monthly to coordinate interventions across the region.
They also approved a digital, real-time intelligence-sharing platform linking all six states.
The system is intended to facilitate the exchange of threat notifications, incident reports, traveller and cargo alerts, and to coordinate rapid state-to-state responses.
Reiterating their long-standing call for state policing, the governors declared: “The time is now. It can no longer be delayed.”
Expressing concern over unregulated interstate migration, the governors urged stricter border monitoring, enhanced biometric data collection, and improved collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
The governors commended the NSCDC, Amotekun Corps, and hunters’ groups for their efforts, while calling on the Federal Government (FG) to enhance security across the South-West’s forest belts. They advocated for the deployment of Forest Guards in each state, noting that states would provide personnel, and reaffirmed their “collective commitment to reclaiming the forests” from criminal elements.
They also praised President Bola Tinubu for his initiatives in combating insecurity, implementing economic reforms, and advancing other developmental agendas.
The governors expressed solidarity with the FG over recent kidnappings in Kebbi, Kwara, and Niger States, specifically commending the swift rescue of abducted worshippers in Kwara and over 51 students from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State.
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Additionally, the forum lauded federal efforts towards achieving food sufficiency and thanked regional farmers for their contributions to increased production, noting the resulting stability and reduction in food prices.
They also welcomed the establishment of the South-West Development Commission (SWDC) and urged it to deliver effectively on its mandate.
The governors reaffirmed the region’s commitment to remaining “one, indivisible entity” that continues to uphold and protect the religious tolerance for which it is renowned.
