Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has said governors across Nigeria’s South-West region are working closely together to tackle growing security challenges, including kidnappings and violent attacks.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, the Ondo State governor said regional leaders had intensified collaboration through joint security initiatives and engagement with the South-West security outfit, Amotekun.

According to Aiyedatiwa, a recent meeting of South-West governors in Ibadan, Oyo State, focused on developing strategies to strengthen security across the geopolitical zone.

“We are talking to ourselves; we are working,” the governor said, noting that Amotekun remains active in Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti and Ogun states, while Lagos State operates its own security architecture.

His comments come amid growing concerns over insecurity in parts of the South-West, particularly following the abduction of students and teachers in Oyo State and a kidnapping incident in Ekiti State’s Ilejemeje Local Government Area.

Aiyedatiwa stressed that Ondo State serves as a strategic gateway to the South-West because of its proximity to several neighbouring states, making security coordination essential.

He added that security agencies and state authorities were carrying out extensive operations, including activities within forest reserves, many of which are not publicly disclosed.

“So much work is being done. Security is one responsibility that leaders carry that is not so visible to everybody,” he said, arguing that government efforts often go unnoticed unless there is a security breach.

Owo Church Attack Verdict Welcomed

The governor also welcomed the conviction of four individuals linked to the June 2022 attack on St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, where more than 40 worshippers were killed and many others injured.

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sentenced the four convicts to death by hanging after finding them guilty of terrorism-related offences brought by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Describing the judgment as a landmark decision, Aiyedatiwa said it represented a victory for the rule of law and offered some measure of justice to victims of terrorism.

“For us in Ondo State, we are happy that this judgment is a victory for the rule of law and for all the victims attacked, not just in Owo, Ondo State, but all who have been attacked at one time or the other by these terrorists,” he said.