The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has raised alarm over what he described as the gradual infiltration of terrorists into the southern region of the country.
The monarch made the disclosure on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he emphasized that traditional institutions and local security structures in the South-West are fully mobilized to repel any threat.
Responding to a question on whether he had confirmed the presence of terrorists moving into the region, the Ooni said:
“Yes, we have discovered that, and that’s the truth, and that’s the reason why we’re coming together.”
He explained that the South-West is strengthening its internal security architecture, particularly through collaboration with local hunters, forest guards, and traditional security systems.
“We are enforcing and strengthening our local guards; we are very strong. We, traditional institutions, we’re very strong when it comes to that. And this current government has already declared that they will work with the local hunters,” he said.
According to him, newly deployed forest guards have proven to be “very efficient,” as the region returns to indigenous methods of safeguarding its communities.
“ we don’t joke with them. We’re going back to our ancestral roots,” he added.
The Ooni said the region is prepared to confront the threat “headlong,” backed by intelligence reports indicating that hostile elements are approaching the South.
“They are coming closer to us, and we’re going to send them back. It has happened in the past… We’ve never been conquered, and it’s not going to happen again,” he said, referencing historical resistance in the 17th and 18th centuries.