Sunday Igboho Launches Iru Ekun Security Network In Another South-West State

Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has formally launched the Ogun State chapter of the Iru Ekun Security Network, with a large number of supporters turning out for the inauguration.

Naija News reports that Iru Ekun, which literally means ‘leopard’s tail’ in Yoruba, is a community-based security initiative established by Igboho to support efforts against kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities across the South-West.

The launch of the Ogun State chapter, held on Wednesday, attracted hundreds of people, while reports put the number of volunteers who joined the initiative at thousands.

Videos and photographs from the event showed supporters dressed in matching black outfits and caps gathered under tents and along the streets as the programme got underway.

Addressing the gathering, Igboho explained how the security outfit would be structured, trained and operated in collaboration with relevant government authorities.

He particularly warned members against using their positions to engage in misconduct, stressing that discipline would be central to the activities of the group.

“You must have discipline. Do not engage in reckless behaviour or ruin things just because they have trained you and you have ID card,” Igboho told the volunteers.

According to him, the Federal Government would determine the agency responsible for training members, while the Ogun State Governor’s Office would decide where they would be deployed after completing their training.

“Federal Government will decide who will come and train us. The Governor’s Office tell us where they will place us.

“As they wrap up that training, every person will be issued an ID card at the local government level,” he said.

Igboho also disclosed that the state government had expressed its willingness to support the initiative.

He said the government would determine a monthly allowance for members to assist them in taking care of their families while carrying out their duties.

“The Governor has also given us assurance. They have given us support here, and they will decide what monthly allowance to provide to us, to support us, because we have wives, and we have children,” he said.

The activist said one of the objectives of the initiative was to ensure that members across the South-West obtained official identification cards that would allow them to operate within the law.

He said the arrangement would also enable members to support their families while contributing to security efforts in their communities.

Igboho compared the initiative to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, saying the organisation could grow into a properly recognised security structure if managed effectively.

“This organisation we established, if we execute it properly, just like Civil Defence. They started at the market. We used to call them ‘Little Defence,’ but they did good work with what they were doing. The federal government have now fully established it across all of Nigeria,” he said.