Insecurity: South-West govs agree on joint security outfit

…to establish food hubs

Governors of the six South-West states- Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Oyo and Ondo, on Thursday, agreed to set up a new joint security outfit to tackle new waves of insecurity in the region.

There have been concerns in recent months over alleged movement of bandits and suspected terrorists from the northern part of Nigeria to the South-West, a region considered relatively more peaceful.

The new outfit which is yet to be named, according to the governors, would be tasked with combating all forms of banditry and other crimes in the region.

There currently exists a security outfit “Amotekun” in some states of the South-West, but the governors did not say whether the new outfit being planned would incorporate the existing one.

The governors also agreed to establish joint food hubs to address increasing food inflation and associated challenges in order to engender security of the region.

Read also: Major decisions made by South West governors at Lagos meeting

The meeting of the South-West governors hosted by Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at Lagos House, Ikeja, was attended by Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Biodun Oyebaniji (Ekiti), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Ademola Adeleke, Osun

Sanwo-Olu, chairman of the South-West Governor’s Forum, who the communique reached at the end of the meeting, said deliberations focused on common interests and key regional issues, which include. These, according to him, include security, agriculture, food security, economic collaboration, and the South-West Development Commission.

Yesterday’s meeting was a follow-up to an earlier one also held in Lagos on June 10, 2024, where Sanwo-Olu, was unanimously appointed as chairman of the Forum.