The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, has called for the urgent integration of traditional institutions and native intelligence into the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy, describing them as essential components of a holistic approach to tackling Nigeria’s complex security challenges.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his director of media and publicity, Bode Durojaiye, the monarch stressed that enduring security will remain elusive unless development challenges are addressed through a genuinely people-focused development strategy.
Oba Owoade made the call while addressing a combined team of security operatives—including the Police, Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun, and local security outfits—constituted by the palace to curb the infiltration of bandits into villages and forests around the metropolis and the Oke Ogun region.
He noted that traditional rulers and native intelligence remain critical yet underutilised assets in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts, especially in the areas of community engagement and intelligence gathering.
Alaafin said, “Their deep local roots and implicit trust among the populace enable them to access information and foster cooperation that state security agencies often struggle to achieve.
“Traditional rulers are well-positioned at the grassroots level to gather ‘native intelligence’ (human intelligence) on the entry and exit of unknown persons, suspicious activities, and potential threats.
“Native intelligence complements formal intelligence mechanisms by providing crucial local context, knowledge of the terrain, and insight into local customs and nuances, which is vital for effective counter-terrorism operations.”
He pointed out that the government needs to take a holistic view on information gathering as a system for addressing insecurity, adding that it must take into consideration the need to harmonise the roles of law enforcement and security agencies and the need to deploy technologies required for the identification of a criminal suspect.
“Nigeria is not the only country facing security challenges today. The fundamental thing is how you deal with these challenges. We can sustain national security operations or options by using native intelligence gathering as a response to a national security threat.
“The Old Oyo Empire lasted more than 600 years because of effective native internal security. Three-quarters of the universe is in a state of unrest due to a lack of effective internal security.
“Though the country is abundantly resourced and has progressively witnessed phenomenal growth over the years. it is incontrovertible that there has been a patent increase in the manifestation of the absence of real development, in terms of the quality of social existence and of social relations of the majority of the populace”, he added.
He said the decision to set up the team is proactive in identifying potential threats and taking actions to mitigate risks through the composition of a combined security force.
The combined security team is headed by the Oyo Area Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner Olufemi Abaniwonda.
The combined security forces, according to the monarch, are not only properly equipped to handle any criminal threats but also engage in proactive planning and training to ward off banditry from villages, forests within Oyo metropolis, and Oke Ogun areas.
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
