We Are Living In Fear, Fulani Residents Cry Out Over Sunday Igboho Security Outfit

Fulani residents in Oyo State and other parts of the South-West have expressed fear over the activities and rhetoric surrounding the Iru Ekun Security Network, a private security outfit established by Yoruba Nation advocate, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.

The residents, while saying they were not opposed to genuine efforts to tackle kidnapping, banditry and other crimes in the region, raised concerns over what they described as the profiling of Fulani communities as criminal suspects.

They argued that portraying an entire ethnic group as responsible for insecurity would deepen mistrust and distract authorities from identifying the actual perpetrators of criminal activities.

A Fulani resident in Oyo State, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said members of the community were increasingly apprehensive.

“We are living in fear. When he mentioned Banni, everyone became scared. What many people fail to realise is that the Fulani have long been part and parcel of this state,” he told Daily Trust.

The resident also drew attention to the May 15 abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area, saying three Fulani children were among the victims still in captivity.

“Among the children who were abducted, three are Fulani children, and they are still in captivity. When Sunday Igboho claimed that he gave an ultimatum to the Fulani to release those kidnapped in Igboho, his home town, and later came out to say they had been released, it is not true. Three days after that incident, another man was kidnapped,” he alleged.

He claimed that suspects arrested in connection with one of the kidnapping incidents were not Fulani.

“The suspects arrested in connection with that case are Yoruba, four of them and a policeman. The policeman is currently being held in custody at Igboho; you can go and find out.

“We have had several cases like this when an attack would be carried out, and it would be blamed on the Fulani. We believe these incidents are aimed at tarnishing the image of the Fulani in the state. Our huts have also been attacked,” he added.

Police, Council Deny Hostage Rescue Claim

Naija News reports that the concerns followed controversy over claims that some kidnapped victims had regained their freedom after Igboho reportedly issued an ultimatum.

However, the Chairman of the affected council, Jacob Ogundiran, and the Oyo State Police Command dismissed reports of the victims’ release as false and misleading.

“The kidnapped victims are yet to regain their freedom. We urge members of the public to disregard any information suggesting otherwise unless it emanates from official and credible sources,” Ogundiran had said.

The police also said there was no official confirmation that the hostages had been rescued or evidence linking Igboho to any rescue operation.

“The Nigeria Police Force has officially debunked claims that the hostages have been safely released,” the police stated.

The controversy surrounding Iru Ekun followed the abduction of 46 pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State during a coordinated attack on May 15.

The security crisis worsened after one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed by the kidnappers.

The incident sparked outrage and protests by members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers and other stakeholders, who demanded urgent government action to rescue the victims and secure schools.

Amid rescue and negotiation efforts, Igboho offered to enter the Old Oyo National Park, where the victims were believed to be held, to rescue them if granted permission by the authorities.

Barely 10 days after the abduction, the Yoruba Nation advocate unveiled the Iru Ekun Security Network, saying the organisation was established to flush terrorists, kidnappers and bandits out of Yoruba forests.

‘We Must Flush Criminals Out Of Our Forests’

In a viral video circulated on May 25, Igboho called on Yoruba people to unite against criminal elements operating in forests and reserves across the region.

“Iru Ekun is a security network I established. It has been duly registered, submitted to the president and officially approved. I want to call on all Yoruba people to work together so that we can flush criminals out of our forests and reserves. We must not allow them to continue operating among us,” he said.

Igboho also alleged that some people were attempting to politicise insecurity and use terrorism to destabilise President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“Some people want to politicise this issue, but we must not allow that. The same thing happened during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan when Boko Haram was used to destabilise the government. Now, some people want to create insecurity again to destabilise the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and damage it politically.

“But we Yoruba people will not allow that to happen because Tinubu is our own, and we must protect our land and our future. We must not allow terrorists to use our land. We must not allow politics to weaponise terrorism against our people,” he said.

The activist maintained that peaceful residents had nothing to fear but warned against criminal activities in forests.

“If you want to live peacefully with us, come openly and let us know you. But you cannot go into our forests and reserves to kill, kidnap and terrorise our people. Some politicians are sponsoring these acts and that is unacceptable,” he added.

What Is Iru Ekun?

Iru Ekun, which literally means “the leopard’s tail” in the Yoruba language, is described by its promoters as a regional security force established to combat kidnappers, bandits and other armed criminals across the South-West.

According to Igboho, the outfit has about 50,000 members prepared to participate in security operations.

He claimed members had received training and that forests across the region had been mapped ahead of proposed operations.

Igboho initially said the organisation had received official approval but later clarified that it was awaiting the Federal Government’s authorisation to commence full operations.

A proposed official launch of the outfit at Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State, on June 2, 2026, did not hold.

Viral Videos Fuel Profiling Concerns

The emergence of Iru Ekun has renewed debate about regional and non-state security groups operating alongside statutory security agencies.

The controversy has intensified following the circulation of videos showing Igboho and some of his men visiting Fulani settlements and forests in parts of the South-West.

In one of the clips, the Yoruba Nation advocate was seen confronting a young Fulani resident in a forest.

Fulani leaders and residents said such activities had increased anxiety within their communities.

They warned that identifying criminality with ethnicity could endanger innocent residents and undermine peaceful coexistence.

Seriki Recalls 2021 Igangan Crisis

The Seriki Fulani of Oyo State, Alhaji Salihu AbdulKadir, who was forced out of Igangan during the 2021 security crisis, also cautioned Igboho against threatening Fulani residents.

AbdulKadir dismissed allegations that Fulani people had taken over ancestral farmlands in the region, describing the claims as “nothing but lies.”

He recalled that on January 16, 2021, Igboho visited his residence and issued a seven-day quit notice to him and members of the Fulani community following allegations that some herders were responsible for insecurity in the Ibarapa area.

Days later, Igboho visited Igangan, where he received a hero’s welcome from some residents.

Many Fulani residents, including the Seriki, had fled the community before his arrival.

AbdulKadir said the incident damaged decades of peaceful coexistence between Fulani settlers and their host communities.

He maintained that he was not involved in criminal attacks and argued that herders also suffered casualties during periods of violence in the area.

The Fulani leader expressed concern over narratives portraying all Fulani as criminals, saying millions of members of the ethnic group were law-abiding Nigerians engaged in legitimate businesses.

According to him, ethnic profiling could fuel hatred, mistrust and threaten peace in communities.

Makinde Moves To Regulate Security Groups

Amid the growing activities of informal security groups, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on May 20 issued an executive order regulating associations and groups providing security-related services in the state.

The governor directed security outfits to formally register with the state government and ensure their operatives wear identifiable uniforms.

Makinde said the order became necessary because insecurity had grown “more sophisticated.”

While stressing that security remained primarily the responsibility of the government, the governor said the state would welcome support from groups operating within a clear legal and operational framework.

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Abiodun Aikomo, said the order was designed to ensure accountability and effective monitoring of groups involved in security activities.

According to him, any security group with more than five members must formally notify the Office of the Governor through the Special Adviser on Security.

Existing organisations were given 72 hours to comply with the directive and obtain formal recognition.

Aikomo warned that failure to comply could result in prosecution.

He added that the Office of the Special Adviser on Security, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Oyo State Police Command had been directed to enforce the order.

Iru Ekun Awaits Approval

Following Makinde’s directive, Igboho expressed his willingness to comply with the state government’s regulatory framework.

He also clarified that the outfit was still awaiting Federal Government approval.

“We have submitted all the required documents for our registered security firm, ‘Iru Ekun Security Network’ and now await federal government’s approval, which will be granted soon,” Igboho said.

He expressed readiness to collaborate with statutory security agencies.

“We are absolutely ready to collaborate with the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other relevant stakeholders in the security sector to flush out terrorists, kidnappers, bandits and other hoodlums threatening the peace and safety of our people, especially in rural communities,” he added.

‘We Have Started Already’

Despite the pending approval, Igboho had earlier suggested that members of the security outfit had commenced operations in forests across the South-West and Yoruba-speaking areas of Kogi and Kwara states.

“We have started already; there’s no delay. Anyone found in any of our forests is a criminal. People should live normally in houses outside the forest. We are all Nigerians,” he said in a viral video.

The statement further heightened concerns among Fulani communities, many of whom depend on rural settlements and forests for their livelihoods.

Igboho Offers Security For Oyo Schools

Naija News understands that in a letter to the Oyo State Commissioner for Education and copied to Makinde, Igboho offered to deploy members of Iru Ekun to public schools following the Oriire abduction.

The letter, dated June 9, 2026, requested information on public schools and their locations to help the organisation plan its deployment.

According to the proposal, the outfit intends to deploy at least two trained personnel to each public school in the state’s 33 local government areas.

“Sir, Iru Ekun Security Network’s plan, upon receipt of the requested information, is to ensure that at least two trained members of the outfit are stationed at each public school identified across Oyo State.

“Their mandate will be to guard school environments, monitor access points, liaise with principals and community vigilantes and prevent unlawful incursion by criminal elements,” the letter stated.

The group also advised the state government to construct perimeter fences around public schools.

“Time is of the essence. Every day without preventive deployment exposes our children and teachers to avoidable risk. With proper data and perimeter security, we can create a protective shield around every public school in Oyo State,” the organisation added.

Operatives Injured In Forest Attack

Reports emerged last week that members of Iru Ekun were attacked during an operation inside the Old Oyo National Park.

The operatives were reportedly tracking suspected kidnappers and armed criminals when they came under attack.

The team was said to have deployed surveillance drones to locate suspected criminal camps before advancing into the forest.

Some operatives reportedly sustained injuries during an exchange of gunfire.

Igboho later confirmed that members of the group were injured but said they had recovered.

“I greet you, my fathers and mothers. It is your son, Sunday Igboho. My brothers and sisters all over the world, today is the 28th of June, 2026. Rumours have been going around, but I am using this opportunity to tell all my loved ones around the world that I am okay.

“Those who sustained injuries are now okay. We will not rest until we ensure that those disturbing the peace of our land depart,” he said.

Expert Warns Against Ethnic Witch-hunt

A security expert, Mathew Ibadin, said there was nothing wrong with incorporating non-state actors into the security architecture but warned that their activities must be properly regulated.

“The government should make sure they also control what Igboho is doing,” Ibadin said to Daily Trust.

He argued that security outfits should operate based on credible intelligence and hand suspects over to statutory law enforcement agencies for investigation and prosecution.

“You cannot just go and push people in their houses. And if they have intelligence, they should work with intelligence. The DSS and the police are there; they will also profile them before prosecution,” he said.

Ibadin cited the Western Nigeria Security Network, otherwise known as Amotekun, as an example of a regional security initiative established by South-West governors.

He said any private security organisation must operate within a defined framework and should not become an instrument for political or ethnic targeting.

“It should not be used as a political witch-hunt against anybody. What matters most is for us to solve the problem and make sure that everybody is on the same page,” he said.

The security expert warned against politicising insecurity, saying unregulated operations could further increase fear among residents.

“I believe that security should not be politicised, so they should work in a very well-defined, structured agreement so that people will be free because Nigerians are the casualties.

“Now, everybody is sceptical and scared. We should not mix politics with security. That is just the truth of the matter. Let people be able to walk freely in the South-West, especially Ibadan, so that at the end of the day, the people will have a sense of belonging,” Ibadin added.