The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has distanced himself from the worsening insecurity in the Southwest, insisting that he should not be blamed for the security challenges currently confronting the region.
Adams said he had consistently raised early warnings to political leaders across the South West, stressing that repeated appeals for proactive measures were ignored until the situation escalated into what he described as a serious threat to peace and stability.
He made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, where he gave a detailed account of his engagements with state authorities on security matters.
According to him, the present security situation did not develop suddenly but followed years of ignored intelligence reports and unattended alerts, especially around border and farming communities where early signs of infiltration were recorded.
“It’s rather unfortunate that we met ourselves in this stage. The level of security threat is becoming alarming,” he said.
Adams recalled that shortly after his installation in 2018, he wrote to Southwest governors urging the convening of a regional security summit to address emerging threats. He said the delay in responding to the proposal slowed coordinated action at a critical time.
He noted that the eventual security conference in Ibadan later gave birth to the Amotekun Corps, which he described as a major step in the right direction, although he insisted the initial vision was altered during implementation.
Tracing the roots of the crisis further, Adams said he had raised concerns about the movement of armed groups into Oke Ogun and Ibarapa years earlier, warning that failure to act decisively would lead to deeper security complications.
“If you want to blame anybody on the issue of insecurity in the Southwest, don’t blame me, because I have done everything within my power to raise awareness and to push for proactive measures before things got out of hand,” he said.
The Yoruba generalissimo also addressed growing public expectations that he should take direct action against insecurity, clarifying that the modern structure of governance does not permit traditional rulers to exercise independent security powers.
He explained that unlike the historical role of the Aare Ona Kakanfo under the Oyo Empire, present day Nigeria operates a constitutional system where security matters are controlled by government institutions.
“The title of Aare Ona Kakanfo is like a traditional minister of defence in Yoruba land, but people don’t really understand what that means in today’s Nigeria,” he said.
Adams added that colonial and post independence reforms significantly reduced the powers of traditional institutions, making it impossible for him to mobilise or command security operations without official approval.
He warned that acting outside government structures could lead to legal consequences, stressing that security collaboration must be driven by lawful coordination rather than individual initiative.
He further maintained that Amotekun, though a positive development, has faced challenges due to what he described as politicisation and lack of unified command across Southwest states.
Adams also advocated a broader grassroots security framework involving community based groups, hunters, vigilantes and existing local networks, which he said could significantly boost manpower if properly coordinated.
He, however, lamented the absence of political will to fully integrate these structures into a functional regional security system capable of responding effectively to modern threats.
According to him, the growing sophistication of criminal activities requires better equipment, intelligence sharing and stronger collaboration between formal security agencies and community based outfits.
Adams concluded that only a unified and coordinated security approach between government and grassroots structures can effectively address the rising insecurity in the region, warning that failure to act decisively would worsen the situation.
