Prominent Yoruba activist Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, declared on Thursday, July 23, 2026, that his newly deployed security outfit, the Iru Ekun Security Network, will flush out bandits and reclaim forest reserves across Kwara State.
​Flanked by members of his security team during the official inauguration of the outfit in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, Igboho assured residents that criminal elements would no longer be permitted to use the state’s forest reserves as safe havens for kidnapping, terrorism, and other violent crimes.
​The move comes as a direct response to escalating insecurity across the Kwara South Senatorial District, where recurring banditry and kidnapping campaigns have displaced entire communities and forced nearly 20 traditional rulers, including the Oba of Owa-Onire, Oba AbdulRahman Fabiyi to temporarily vacate their domains for safety in Ilorin.
​Outlining the network’s immediate operational directives, Igboho disclosed that Iru Ekun operatives will begin targeted forest-clearing operations starting in Babanla before advancing back into Eruku, two areas heavily impacted by recent insurgent activity.
​”The presence of the Iru Ekun Security Network in Kwara has already unsettled the criminals,” Igboho said during the launch. “Those hiding in our forests cannot intimidate us into surrendering our communities. Anyone found living in these deep forests will be treated as a criminal; people belong in towns and villages, not in forest dens.”
​Addressing public questions surrounding the group’s motives, Igboho firmly denied claims that the Iru Ekun outfit was formed to target Fulani herdsmen, clarifying that its operations are strictly directed at criminal groups regardless of ethnic origin.
​He further credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for encouraging community-level security collaborations to tackle Nigeria’s safety challenges.
​The ground team in Kwara, headed by Senior Controller Mr. Muyiwa Adeniyi, has already begun intelligence gathering in Isanlu-Isin and surrounding local government areas.
​Elder Olaitan Oyin-Zubair, Coordinator of the Joint Security Watch Kwara South, confirmed that local security stakeholders and military personnel recently held joint operational meetings with Adeniyi’s team in Isanlu-Isin to ensure the network adheres to established legal and tactical frameworks.
​Igboho revealed that the Iru Ekun initiative has already registered over 80,000 volunteers across Yorubaland. He stressed that thorough background checks are being conducted on every recruit to prevent criminals from infiltrating the outfit as it works alongside the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, and Department of State Services (DSS) to restore safety in the region.
