Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has raised fresh alarm over rising insecurity in the South-West following coordinated attacks on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, warning that “Yorubaland is now under siege.”
The group’s leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, expressed shock over the attacks, which occurred days after he marked his 100th birthday, describing the development as a dangerous sign that armed groups were expanding operations deeper into the South-West.
Gunmen riding motorcycles reportedly attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinle; and L.A. Primary School in Oriire LGA on Friday, triggering panic among residents and renewed concerns over the safety of schools and rural communities in Oyo State.
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In a statement issued in Ibadan by Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, the organisation sympathised with victims and families affected by the attacks and called on federal and state authorities to urgently halt what it described as a worsening wave of terrorism and kidnappings across the region.
“Afenifere Leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, was saddened to hear this unfortunate incident which occurred the same week he marked his 100th year on earth,” the statement said.
The group argued that the latest attacks reinforced fears that criminal gangs and terrorists were increasingly targeting the South-West, a region once considered relatively insulated from extremist violence seen in parts of northern Nigeria.
“The chilling reality has destroyed the earlier belief that the South-West was a safe haven,” the statement added.
Afenifere listed a series of recent security incidents across the region and neighbouring states to support its claim that insecurity was rapidly escalating.
The organisation referenced the abduction of three members of a family at Ipojo Golden Estate in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, earlier this month, as well as a disrupted ₦10 million ransom collection operation in Otefon Village Forest in Oyo State.
It also recalled the April 18 attack on a church crusade in Eda Oniyo, Ekiti State, where gunmen reportedly killed a pastor and abducted worshippers, alongside the deadly raids on Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State earlier this year.
According to the group, other incidents included the invasion of a Police Mobile Force camp in Tenebo, Kaiama LGA, where three officers were killed, the kidnapping of a trader in Ibadan, and the abduction of a businessman in Atisbo Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Afenifere also cited previous attacks on worship centres and highways, including the November 2025 assault on a Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, where worshippers were reportedly killed and dozens abducted during an evening service.
The organisation questioned the effectiveness of several security initiatives earlier announced by South-West governors, including surveillance systems, security aircraft purchases and regional intelligence coordination.
It specifically referenced surveillance aircraft acquired by the Oyo State Government, insisting that the technology could have helped security agencies detect and stop the attackers before the assaults escalated.
“Were the aircraft deployed, what happened last week would have been nipped in the bud because the planes were reportedly fitted with sophisticated surveillance technology capable of identifying targets from both high and low altitudes,” the statement said.
The group also asked what had become of regional security resolutions previously announced by governors in the South-West, including CCTV expansion projects and other anti-kidnapping measures.
The latest attacks have intensified pressure on security agencies and state governments amid growing concerns over repeated attacks on schools, churches, highways and rural communities across parts of the South-West.
Security analysts have repeatedly warned that porous forests, weak intelligence coordination and inadequate policing in remote communities continue to expose vulnerable settlements to attacks by armed groups operating across state borders.
At the time of filing this report, authorities in Oyo State had yet to issue a detailed update on arrests or possible casualties linked to the school attacks.
