A report has highlighted growing concerns over the presence of criminal gangs and suspected terrorist elements operating from forested areas across parts of Yorubaland, particularly in South-West Nigeria.
According to the report, vast forest belts across states such as Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti have increasingly become refuge zones for armed criminal groups, including kidnappers and bandit-linked networks.
The publication notes that:
- Forest reserves in the South-West are being used as hideouts for armed gangs
- These groups operate by launching attacks on farmers, travellers, and rural communities
- Kidnapping for ransom has increased in previously peaceful zones
Security analysts and regional stakeholders quoted in the report say the situation reflects a shift of criminal activity from the North into parts of the South-West, where forest terrain provides cover for movement and escape.
Groups such as the Afenifere socio-political organisation and the Yoruba Council Worldwide have raised concerns about:
- insecurity on highways and rural roads
- attacks on farmers and residents
- increasing fear in communities close to forest reserves
They also called for stronger collaboration between:
- federal security agencies
- state security outfits
- local vigilante and intelligence networks
Nigeria has continued to face overlapping insecurity challenges involving:
- banditry in the North-West
- insurgency in the North-East
- kidnapping networks spreading into other regions
Security forces have repeatedly carried out air and ground operations targeting suspected hideouts, including forest enclaves used for logistics and planning of attacks.
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