The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland issues a stark warning, condemning political interference in regional security and demanding state police before the region’s stability collapses entirely.

The escalating crisis in Nigeria’s South-West has reached a boiling point, with the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, issuing a blistering indictment of the political failures fueling the region’s descent into chaos.

In a searing interview, Adams painted a grim picture of a region caught off-guard by a wave of organized crime, warning that a false sense of security has left Yorubaland dangerously exposed. His starkest condemnation targeted the Western Nigeria Security Network, Amotekun—a initiative he once championed—which he says has been gutted by political patronage.

“The situation is dire,” Adams stated. “Our lack of adequate preparation is evident. The recruitment into Amotekun has become overly politicized. It is no longer about security; it is about governors providing jobs for their political allies. Security is a matter of life and death—you cannot treat it like a welfare program.”

Adams lamented that the original vision for a community-driven security outfit has been hijacked, rendering it ineffective against a new breed of organized, profit-driven criminal enterprises. He pointed to the recent brutal murder of a traditional ruler in Akure as a harrowing symbol of the crisis, adding that bandits now kill monarchs “like chickens” with impunity.

The Yoruba leader described Nigeria’s centralized policing system as fundamentally broken, arguing that federal politicians and even some state governors remain stubbornly opposed to the state police model required to tackle local threats.

“We cannot continue to live in denial,” Adams warned. “A diverse nation of 250 million must embrace true federalism, and state police are non-negotiable. Effective policing must be grounded in the community, where officers know the terrain and can act on timely intelligence. If we recruit from local governments, insecurity will significantly decrease.”

Adams further criticized the federal government’s response as “largely insufficient,” noting that Nigeria’s deteriorating image is already driving away investors and tourism revenue to neighboring countries like Benin Republic.

He concluded with a call for urgent, sweeping reforms: the immediate depoliticization of security agencies, the restoration of community-based policing frameworks, and a unified strategy involving governments, traditional rulers, and citizens. Without these decisive measures, he cautioned, the South-West risks losing its long-held status as one of Nigeria’s most stable regions.