Seyi Makinde has signed Executive Order 001 of 2026 aimed at regulating associations, vigilante groups, and organisations providing security-related services across Oyo State, in response to rising insecurity and recent abduction incidents in the state.
The order mandates that all security-related groups must be registered, documented, and monitored by the state government to ensure they operate within a legal framework that promotes peace, order, and accountability. Groups with more than five members are required to notify the government through the Office of the Special Adviser on Security within 72 hours of the directive.
Makinde stressed that while security is a shared responsibility between government and citizens, unregulated groups must not operate in ways that could trigger ethnic tension, profiling, or unlawful confrontation. He warned that such activities would not be tolerated under his administration.
The governor also addressed the recent kidnapping of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area, assuring residents that security agencies are working to secure the safe rescue of the victims, while urging citizens to remain calm and report suspicious activities rather than resorting to self-help.
Security officials, including the state Commissioner of Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, have been directed to enforce full compliance with the order.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, two staff members of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) were abducted along the Idi Ayunre axis of Ijebu Ode Road in Oluyole Local Government Area. Police authorities confirmed that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack, while a coordinated search operation is ongoing.
The police also dismissed reports of widespread or mass abductions in Ibadan, describing such claims as false and capable of causing unnecessary panic among residents.
Condemnations have continued to trail the insecurity situation, with the Anglican Archbishop of Ibadan Province, Williams Aladekugbe, describing the attacks as barbaric and calling for stronger collaboration to secure the release of victims.
The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) also called on authorities to empower local groups to confront insecurity, while former presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim urged urgent federal intervention, warning that attacks on schools represent a serious threat to Nigeria’s future.
Overall, stakeholders continue to call for stronger security coordination and swift action to address the rising wave of kidnappings in the region.
