By Usman Oladimeji
Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, on Thursday launched the Iru Ekun Security Network in Ilorin and vowed to drive criminal groups out of forests across Kwara State.
Speaking during the unveiling of the outfit, Igboho said the network was formed to support government and conventional security agencies in tackling kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes in affected communities.
“The presence of the Iru Ekun Security Network in Kwara has already unsettled the criminals,” he said. “We are heading to Babanla, which many people now describe as a stronghold of bandits.”
Igboho identified Babanla and Eruku as priority areas for the group’s first operations.
“We also passed through Eruku on our way from Kogi State, and we will return there,” he said. “This is our ancestral land, and no criminal can force us to abandon it. Those hiding in our forests cannot intimidate us into surrendering our communities.”
He stressed that the Iru Ekun Security Network was not set up to replace the police or other security agencies, but to complement their efforts to restore peace in the state.
Igboho appeared at the launch in Ilorin flanked by members of the Iru Ekun team dressed in black native attire.
The launch comes amid rising concerns over insecurity in parts of Kwara, with residents of Babanla and Eruku among those worst hit by attacks in recent months.
