For decades, the South West of Nigeria has stood as an oasis of relative peace compared with other troubled regions of the country. While the North East struggles with Islamist extremism, the Middle Belt faces relentless militia attacks, the Niger Delta grapples with resource-driven militancy, and the South East deals with IPOB and ESN agitations, the Yoruba region has managed to maintain a level of stability. Yet beneath this calm surface, dangerous cracks are emerging. New patterns of migration, criminal behavior, socio-economic spillovers, and governance weaknesses point to the unmistakable signs of a growing security lapse. Unless regional leaders act quickly and decisively, the South West may soon experience the same full-blown insecurity that has destabilized other parts of Nigeria.
One of the most worrying signs is the massive, uncontrolled influx of young migrants into South West states. In Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, and Osun, it is now common to see groups of boys between the ages of 12 and 17 arriving in trucks transporting agricultural produce. Many of them have no homes, no relatives, no schools, and no monitoring system. They sleep under bridges, in markets, and inside abandoned buildings. This unregulated movement represents a potential recruitment pool for criminal and extremist groups, and it places enormous pressure on security intelligence and demographic management.
Another warning sign is the rising wave of petty theft, metal scrap vandalism, and iron property stealing, especially across Ogun border towns and Lagos suburbs. These activities often escalate into drug abuse, gang formation, and nighttime robberies. They reflect the gradual formation of a shadow economy involving mostly idle youths without identity, accountability, or purpose.
A major contributor to this problem is Nigeria’s porous borders, especially in the North. These borders have allowed uncontrolled entry of foreign nationals and unregulated migration over many years. Some political leaders openly justify this due to ethnic ties with neighboring countries. This encourages further breakdown of border control, enabling the spillover of insecurity into the South West, whose states bear the brunt of these unmonitored movements.
Compounding this is the absence of a fully unified regional security framework. Although Amotekun exists, Lagos State is not formally integrated into the system. This creates fragmented intelligence networks, delayed joint responses, and an overdependence on federal police structures whose command sits far away in Abuja. For a region as strategic and densely populated as the South West, this fragmentation is a serious vulnerability.
The Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), which should be driving regional cooperation and security coordination, has not fully taken up the leadership role expected of it. Without stronger direction, the region lacks a coordinated strategy for border control, crisis response, intelligence sharing, and data management. These gaps worsen the region’s ability to anticipate or deter threats.
The root causes of these challenges extend far beyond the South West. The socio-economic breakdown in the North, including mass poverty, unemployment, collapsed school systems such as the almajiri model, and exploitative political leadership, has created a vast pool of vulnerable youths. Practices such as early marriage, where teenage girls become mothers without sufficient maturity or support, have produced generations of children raised in conditions of instability and neglect. Many of these youths eventually migrate southwards in search of survival.
Poor governance at the national level has also allowed criminal networks and extremist elements to grow unchecked. There is evidence that truckloads of minors are being transported deliberately to South West states without accountability or proper documentation. These vulnerable populations enter the region, drift from place to place, and become potential triggers for future crises.
The marginalization and agitation in other regions also play a role. As instability spreads elsewhere, extremist and criminal groups may see the peaceful South West as a strategic location for operations, expansion, or recruitment.
To protect the region, several urgent measures are necessary. The Amotekun Corps must be fully equipped, properly trained, technologically upgraded, and better remunerated to function as an effective regional defense force. Lagos State must formally join Amotekun to ensure seamless intelligence coordination across all Yoruba states. A comprehensive South West resident identification system, similar to Lagos State’s LASRRA, should be introduced to document residents, track unknown individuals, and strengthen security planning.
The DAWN Commission and the South West Development Commission must lead a strong regional security alliance, including joint border patrols, shared intelligence systems, and coordinated emergency responses. Community-based intelligence networks must be revived and strengthened so that towns and local governments can monitor unusual movement, suspicious behavior, or rapid demographic changes.
Children and youths found without guardians, addresses, or legitimate reasons for being in the region should be documented, profiled, and returned to their states, with formal communication to their governors. Public awareness campaigns should be intensified to educate households and communities on reporting mechanisms, vigilance, and early-warning signs of emerging threats.
The signs are clear. The threats are real. The infiltration is steady. What the Middle Belt and North Central have suffered is now slowly creeping into the Yoruba region. The South West must act swiftly, intelligently, and in unity to protect its people. Security is a collective responsibility that begins from the household and extends through communities, local governments, states, regions, and the nation as a whole.
For further information or contributions, please contact the publisher of Parrot Reporters at parrotreporters@gmail.com. A secure South West is essential for a secure Nigeria.
Editorial Board
