By Christian Abolu

Governors of the South-West region on Monday announced sweeping new security measures, including the establishment of a regional security fund and a digital intelligence-sharing network, following an emergency meeting held in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The meeting, hosted at the Oyo State Government Secretariat, Ibadan, brought together Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti) and Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa (Ondo). Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke was represented by his deputy, Kola Adewusi.

The session was convened to address rising insecurity across the region and to strengthen collaborative efforts under the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN).

At the end of the meeting, the governors unveiled far-reaching resolutions aimed at boosting regional security architecture and improving coordination between states.

Central to these decisions was the creation of the South-West Security Fund (SWSF), to be housed within the DAWN Commission.

According to the communiqué read by Governor Sanwo-Olu, who chairs the South-West Governors’ Forum, the fund will be managed by the Forum of Special Advisers on Security, meeting monthly to coordinate regional interventions.

The governors also approved a real-time intelligence-sharing platform designed to improve early warnings and coordinated responses.

The system will enable the exchange of threat alerts, incident logs, and movement notifications relating to travellers and cargo, while enhancing state-to-state rapid-response capability.

Commending the roles played by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, local hunters and the Amotekun Corps, the governors appealed to the Federal Government to strengthen security across forest belts in the region.

They urged Abuja to deploy Forest Guards, with states committing to provide the personnel, and reaffirmed a collective resolve to “reclaim the forests” from criminal elements.

Raising concerns about unregulated interstate migration, the Forum called for tougher border monitoring, biometric data capture and deeper cooperation with the National Identity Management Commission.

The communiqué also renewed the region’s long-standing advocacy for state police, insisting the country could no longer delay its establishment.

The governors expressed solidarity with the Federal Government over recent kidnappings in Kebbi, Kwara and Niger States, praising what they described as the “swift response” that facilitated the rescue of abducted Kwara worshippers and more than 51 students of St Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State.

Beyond security, the Forum lauded ongoing federal reforms, including President Bola Tinubu’s efforts toward food sufficiency, which they said had contributed to increased agricultural output and relative price stability across the region.

They also commended the President for establishing the South-West Development Commission and urged it to deliver effectively on its mandate.

Reaffirming their unity and shared values, the governors concluded: “We remain one, indivisible entity that will continue to enjoy and guard the religious tolerance that we have always been known for.”