Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Henry Owen
Governors of the South-West region have announced a sweeping set of new security measures aimed at tackling rising threats across their states, including a regional security fund, a digital intelligence-sharing system, tighter border controls and a renewed demand for state police.
The decisions followed an emergency meeting held on Monday, November 24, 2025, at the Oyo State Government Secretariat in Ibadan. Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti) and Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa (Ondo) were present, while Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke was represented by Deputy Governor Kola Adewusi.
The meeting, convened under the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), focused on the region’s worsening security situation, the need for stronger collaboration, and the urgency of safeguarding communities, forests and state borders.
In a communiqué read by Lagos State Governor and Chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governors unveiled 10 major resolutions, the most significant being the creation of the South West Security Fund (SWSF). The fund—housed under the DAWN Commission—will be managed by the Special Advisers on Security from the six states and will meet monthly to coordinate regional interventions.
The governors also approved a new real-time intelligence-sharing platform that will allow states to exchange threat alerts, incident logs, cargo and traveller information, and coordinate joint responses across borders. They praised the efforts of the NSCDC, hunters’ groups and the Amotekun Corps but stressed that forest security needs urgent reinforcement.
Calling on the Federal Government for support, the governors said: “The Federal Government should help deploy Forest Guards across the South West states,” while affirming their own “collective commitment to reclaiming the forests” from criminals.
Beyond forest security, the governors raised concerns over what they described as “unregulated interstate migration that continues to pose significant challenges.” They proposed stricter border monitoring, biometric registration and improved collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission to prevent criminal infiltration.
Reiterating a long-standing regional demand, the governors renewed their call for state police, declaring: “The time is now. It can no longer be delayed.”
They also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for “the fight against insecurity, various economic reforms and other developmental agenda,” applauding the Federal Government’s “swift response” to recent kidnappings in Kebbi, Kwara and Niger States, including the rescue of worshippers and more than 51 schoolchildren.
The communiqué further acknowledged the Federal Government’s efforts on food security, praised South-West farmers for boosting food production and stabilising prices, and thanked President Tinubu for establishing the South West Development Commission.
Affirming the region’s unity, the governors stated: “We remain one, indivisible entity that will continue to enjoy and guard the religious tolerance that we have always been known for.”
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