Cross-Border Cooperation Can End Terrorism In Nigeria – Alaafin of Oyo

Alaafin of Oyo

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, has called for stronger inter-agency collaboration across Nigeria. He recently had his say when he paid a courtesy visit to the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in Ilorin.

According to him, timely intelligence sharing and coordinated community engagement will go a long way towards preventing terrorism and other security threats.

He added that effective security management requires synergy between communities and government authorities.

His words, “The safety of rural and border communities must command the same seriousness and urgency as the security of our major cities.

Government must deepen intelligence gathering and preventive intervention. Beyond responsive measures, enhanced intelligence and preventive strategies are critical. Security threats rarely occur in isolation; they are often organised, financed, and facilitated through networks that can and should be identified, disrupted, and prosecuted within the framework of the law.

Clear, steady communication with affected communities and with their traditional rulers will also strengthen public trust. In moments of uncertainty, timely information and visible leadership help calm fears, counter misinformation, and demonstrate that government remains firmly present. Where communities feel heard and guided, panic recedes; where they feel abandoned, fear multiplies.

The Alaafin stands with Yoruba communities in the state, and we identify with them. These are not distant places to us; they form part of our shared cultural and human fabric, communities bound to us by history, kinship, and longstanding civilisational ties.

Criminals must not turn our ancestral homes into bargaining chips. Terror must not violate our farms, our markets, our places of worship, or the dignity of our daily work.”

WOW.