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Across Rural Areas In The South West
In many rural communities across the South-West, security has increasingly become a matter of local organisation, community intelligence and rapid response. This is the space in which Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has positioned his latest initiative, the Iru Ekun Security Network.
Launched in 2026, Iru Ekun, which means “the tail of a leopard” in Yoruba, was established by Igboho as a community-based security initiative to complement the work of conventional security agencies in tackling kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and other criminal activities, particularly in forests, farms, border communities and rural settlements.
What began as an idea announced publicly in May has rapidly grown into a network with a presence in several South-West states. Oyo and Osun were among the first areas where the organisation was launched, followed by Kwara, Ogun, Ekiti and Lagos, with operations and expansion plans extending into other Yoruba-speaking areas. In July, Igboho said more than 80,000 volunteers had registered with the network across Yorubaland, although that figure is his organisation’s own claim rather than an independently verified membership count.
The rapid spread of Iru Ekun is closely connected to the man behind it, Sunday Adeniyi Adeyemo alias, Igboho.
“Iru Ekun is a security network that I established. It has been duly registered, submitted to the President, and officially approved. I want to call on all Yoruba people to work together so that we can flush criminals out of our forests and reserves. We must not allow them to continue operating among us,” Igboho said at the time.
The organisation’s stated role has since moved beyond forest surveillance. Its activities are increasingly tied to communities, schools, farms, roads and traditional institutions.
In Oyo State, for instance, Iru Ekun offered to deploy personnel to public schools following the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area. The organisation proposed stationing at least two trained personnel at each identified public school, while working with principals, community vigilantes and government agencies.
Its growing popularity in rural communities is also connected to the fact that Iru Ekun presents itself as a network built around local knowledge. In villages where residents know the forests, farm roads, footpaths and difficult-to-reach settlements better than outsiders, the organisation says such knowledge can be converted into useful intelligence.
The structure being promoted also places considerable emphasis on coordination. Igboho has repeatedly said that members must work with conventional security agencies rather than operate as a law unto themselves.
At the Ogun launch, he explained that government authorities would determine training and deployment, while members would receive identification cards at the local-government level. He also warned volunteers against abusing their positions.
“You must have discipline. Do not engage in reckless behaviour or ruin things just because they have trained you and you have ID card,” he told members.
That emphasis on identification, training and coordination is important because Iru Ekun’s rapid expansion has also generated questions about its legal status, command structure and relationship with existing security organisations such as the Nigeria Police Force and the South-West’s Amotekun Corps.
The organisation has sought to address some of those concerns by presenting itself as complementary rather than a replacement for the police or military.
In Kwara, Igboho specifically instructed members to hand suspected criminals who were unarmed over to the police and warned against taking the law into their own hands. He also said Iru Ekun would collaborate with conventional security agencies.
The network’s arrival in Kwara South illustrates why it has attracted attention from traditional rulers. About 20 traditional rulers displaced from communities affected by bandit attacks reportedly engaged the services of Iru Ekun, with its operatives already assessing areas including Isanlu-Isin and neighbouring communities.
Oba AbdulRahman Fabiyi, the traditional ruler of Owa-Onire, who had relocated to Ilorin because of insecurity, described the development as welcome, saying, “It’s a welcome development and I pray that the efforts would pay off so that we can fully return to our communities.”
Elder Olaitan Oyin-Zubair, Coordinator of Joint Security Watch Kwara South, also welcomed the engagement, saying, “Engagement with Iru Ekun security outfit under Chief Sunday Igboho in Kwara South with Joint Security Watch Kwara South is a welcome development.” He, however, stressed that the priority should be rescuing abducted residents and helping displaced communities return home.
These reactions demonstrate one of the major reasons Iru Ekun has been able to gain traction: communities that have experienced prolonged insecurity are looking for additional layers of protection.
The organisation is also increasingly becoming visible around traditional institutions and major community events. Its relationship with Yoruba monarchs has become particularly significant because rural Yoruba society remains deeply connected to palaces, traditional councils and community leadership.
In addition to protecting villages, farms and forests, Iru Ekun personnel are increasingly being engaged to provide security and guidance during parties, social gatherings and other events taking place in rural communities. From weddings and birthday celebrations to community meetings, coronations, chieftaincy ceremonies and traditional festivals, members are called upon to help control movement, guide guests, protect venues and maintain order.
This has made Iru Ekun increasingly familiar to residents who may not necessarily encounter the organisation during security operations but see its members working around their communities during major occasions.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, donated N100 million and a new Hilux vehicle to support Iru Ekun. The donation followed Igboho’s visit to the monarch’s palace in Ile-Ife. The Ooni’s support represented one of the strongest endorsements the initiative had received from a prominent traditional institution.
The monarch’s involvement also helped reinforce the perception that Iru Ekun is not simply a personal project of Igboho but is increasingly being discussed within the wider traditional security conversation in Yorubaland.
The Ooni and other South-West monarchs subsequently met with Igboho to discuss regional security. The meeting brought together traditional rulers from Oyo, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun and parts of Kwara.
For communities, this has translated into a growing presence at traditional and rural gatherings, particularly where security arrangements are required. Coronations, chieftaincy ceremonies, palace gatherings, community meetings and other major events in areas where Iru Ekun has a presence can benefit from local security coordination, especially where conventional security personnel may be stretched.
But perhaps the strongest evidence of the organisation’s appeal is the demand coming from communities themselves.
For many rural residents, the issue is not ideology. It is whether farmers can reach their farms, whether children can attend school, whether villagers can sleep without fear and whether traditional rulers who fled their palaces can eventually return home.
A resident’s description of the insecurity confronting some communities captures the anxiety that created the demand for additional security. But the growing acceptance of Iru Ekun is not universal. Some residents, particularly among Fulani communities, have expressed fear that the organisation could encourage ethnic profiling. One Fulani resident told reporters, “We are living in fear,” reflecting concerns that genuine security operations could become associated with targeting an entire ethnic group.
That criticism is one of the most important challenges facing Iru Ekun. Security experts and community leaders have warned that criminals should be identified by their actions rather than ethnicity.
Alhaji Mogaji Ibrahim Olaniyan, National Chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee, said the organisation should operate under proper supervision and warned against turning it into a tribal or sectional force. “We need to guard against a situation where the outfit will be turned into a tribal or sectional army,” he said.
Former NBA Ikeja Branch Chairman, Dave Ajetomobi, on the other hand, argued that community security structures could play a useful role in the current security environment if properly registered and supervised. He compared the concept with civilian security initiatives that have assisted conventional forces elsewhere in Nigeria.
“A desperate situation requires desperate solutions. What Sunday Igboho is trying to do is not entirely different from the Civilian Joint Task Force in the North, where civilians work with the military to fight bandits and terrorists,” Ajetomobi said.
For government, however, the challenge is ensuring that every community security initiative remains accountable, disciplined and within the law.
That is why the story of Iru Ekun is larger than Sunday Igboho himself. It reflects the growing demand for community-based security in parts of the South-West where insecurity has exposed the limitations of conventional responses.
From forests and farms to schools, villages, palaces, coronations, chieftaincy gatherings, parties and other rural events, Iru Ekun is increasingly becoming a familiar name in the region’s rural security conversation.
Whether it eventually becomes a permanent component of the South-West security architecture or remains a powerful grassroots initiative will depend largely on its relationship with the police, Amotekun, state governments, traditional institutions and the communities it says it has come to protect.
For now, its biggest strength is the same thing that propelled Sunday Igboho to prominence years ago: the ability to connect directly with communities that believe they need somebody who understands their fears and is prepared to act.
By Benprince Ezeh
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