The South West Governors’ Forum, comprising the governors of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo states, has agreed to establish a joint security surveillance to tackle terrorists under the banner of the Islamic State’s West Africa Province.
This was revealed after a meeting of all the six governors in the region. namely, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ademola Adeleke (Osun) and Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), on Thursday, held at the Governor’s Office, Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja.
The move comes amid earlier reports of infiltration of the terrorists into some forests in the South West region.
Makinde had warned in January that bandits fleeing military operations in the North-West were seeking refuge in the Oyo.
At a 2025 annual inter-faith service for workers held at the Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, Makinde said, “During a security briefing this morning, I learnt that some bad elements from the North-West are relocating here due to military heat in their zones. But we will find and deal with them.”
The Department of State Services had also recently arrested 10 suspected members of ISWAP in Ilesa, Osun State.
The arrest came to public knowledge when the DSS in January sought an order from a Federal High Court in Abuja to detain the suspects for 60 days, an order Justice Emeka Nwite granted.
After Thursday’s extensive deliberations, which began around 12pm and ended around 4pm, the Forum, in a communique read out to journalists by Governor Sanwo-Olu, said it acknowledged the threats of ISWAP activities in the region and condemned it in its totality.
The governors stated their resolve to combat the terrorists with technology including the use of aerial surveillance.
Sanwo-Olu, who is the chairman of the Forum, said, “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. The Forum also commits to taking necessary actions to counter these threats.
“The Forum agreed to establish a Joint Surveillance Monitoring Team to oversee and coordinate security efforts across the South-West region. As part of this resolution, the Forum has committed to deploying advanced technology, including aerial surveillance systems to enhance security operations.
“Additionally, the Forum resolved that its Special Advisers on Security collaborate on intelligence gathering and sharing between state security agencies, local security networks, and federal law enforcement authorities among the South-West states.”
Meanwhile, the South-West Governors’ Forum commended President Bola Tinubu for what it described as the economic stability and improvements recorded across the nation, “particularly in the sustained supply and distribution of petroleum products and the stabilisation of the exchange rate.”
The governors urged citizens to continue supporting the President’s efforts to strengthen the economy and improve the overall well-being of Nigerians.
The Forum applauded the Federal Government for the successful implementation of the Student Loan Scheme under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
The governors noted that the scheme had benefited South-West students in tertiary institutions.
“It encourages all eligible students in the region to take full advantage of this initiative to access higher education, vocational training, and skills acquisition programmes,” Sanwo-Olu stated.
The governors also commended the FG and the Senate for establishing the South West Development Commission and collectively agreed to situate its headquarters at Cocoa House, Ibadan, Oyo State.
“The Forum acknowledges the efforts of Odu’a Investment Company Ltd. in efficiently managing joint assets of the South West region over the past five years. It also commends the company’s Board and Management for the ongoing redevelopment of the Premier Hotel in Ibadan, Oyo State, and the proposed redevelopment of the Lagos Airport Hotel in Lagos State,” the communique added.
The Forum, while recognising the need for food security, encouraged collaboration among the South-West states to implement collective measures aimed at curbing food inflation in the region.
The Forum expressed concern over the activities of “unscrupulous middlemen” who deliberately inflate prices of goods and commodities in the markets.
It, 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.
Conclusively, the governors commended the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission for its improved performance over the past 12months and encouraged it to continue working diligently with the South West commissioners for agriculture on industrialisation and infrastructural development across the region
Thursday’s meeting was a follow-up to a similar one held in Lagos on June 10, 2024, where Governor Sanwo-Olu was unanimously appointed as Chairman of the South-West Governors Forum.
Since its last meeting, the forum under the leadership of Sanwo-Olu had prioritised policies aimed at strengthening regional development in the South-West zone.