Kidnapping in South-West Is a Business, Not a Religious War — Ex-Minister Olanrewaju

Former Minister of Communications, Maj. Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju (retd.), has described the ongoing kidnapping and terrorism in the South-West as a profit-driven enterprise rather than a campaign rooted in territorial ambition or religious ideology.

Olanrewaju, in a statement titled “The Insurgency War/Terrorism in Southwest – The way I see it,” released by his Media Office on Thursday, June 4, 2026, noted that the violence currently affecting parts of the zone should not be misconstrued as a struggle for territorial control or Islamic expansionism. According to him, the perpetrators have adopted guerrilla warfare tactics as their primary method of engagement against both the Nigerian Armed Forces and civilian populations. He noted that this approach is strategically designed to overstretch security forces, instill fear among residents, and create instability within affected communities.

The former minister further warned that the situation may be exploited by certain sponsors seeking to advance political objectives, including the pursuit of power. He stressed that the South-West, particularly Lagos State, cannot consider itself insulated from the broader security challenges facing the country. “This insurgency war/terrorism has no territorial values or Islamic faith evangelism or expansion. It is purely an ongoing business affair, as I could observe,” Olanrewaju stated. “Lagos State and the South-West in general cannot be isolated from occasional instability arising from the actions of infiltrated terrorists who kidnap for ransom, kill to instill fear, and pursue political ends—all aimed at creating panic and disrupting peace through the destruction of lives and property,” he added.

The retired general emphasized that the security threats in the zone have evolved beyond mere banditry and should be formally recognized as terrorism. He cautioned that without decisive and coordinated action, Nigeria’s territorial integrity and national stability could be severely undermined. “These are not bandits anymore but terrorists in our homeland. The counter-terrorism war will not finish soon. Unless there is a full-scale war against the so-called terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers, our territorial integrity will be seriously violated, and the entire nation will have no peace,” he warned.

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Olanrewaju called for the immediate declaration of a State of Emergency across affected states, describing it as a necessary step to activate comprehensive contingency measures. He also proposed that state governors consult senior retired military officers for strategic advice and guidance in addressing the crisis. “The declaration of a State of Emergency is knocking for serious contingency plans to be activated. Senior retired armed services officers could be recalled in each state by the Chief Executive for consultation and advice on the way forward,” he said. The former army commander called for a full-scale, non-conventional military operation as the most effective approach to defeating the insurgents and restoring lasting peace to the region.

Olanrewaju’s intervention comes against the backdrop of the coordinated abduction of school pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15, 2026. On that day, armed terrorists stormed three schools — Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School, Esiele — abducting students and teachers in what has been described as a highly organized operation. The attack marked the first mass school abduction of its scale in the South-West, a region previously considered relatively insulated from the mass kidnapping crises that have plagued Northern Nigeria since the Chibok abduction of 2014. According to reports, one of the abducted teachers, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded in a gruesome manner by his captors, deepening public outrage and triggering protests across the country. The abduction has forced the Oyo State Government to close public schools in four local government areas — Surulere, Oriire, Oyo East, and Olorunsogo — until further notice.

Analysts have drawn parallels between the Oriire abduction and previous mass school kidnappings that occurred during election cycles. The Chibok abduction of 276 schoolgirls in 2014 cast a long shadow over former President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election campaign. Four years later, in 2018, 110 Dapchi schoolgirls were abducted in Yobe State as President Muhammadu Buhari prepared for the 2019 elections. Now, as political activities ahead of the 2027 elections gather momentum under President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria is witnessing another disturbing wave of school attacks — including the unprecedented spread of such incidents into the South-West. “Three election cycles. Three major school abduction crises. Three administrations placed on the defensive at precisely the moment they are most vulnerable to political erosion,” observed Yushau A. Shuaib in a Premium Times analysis.

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On the same day as the Oriire attack — Friday, May 15, 2026 — terrorists also struck in Borno State, abducting 42 schoolchildren from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira Uba Local Government Area. In a single day, more than 80 Nigerian children and their teachers were taken from their classrooms. Weeks later, many remain in captivity. An editorial by Premium Times noted that the attackers used explosives during the Oyo operation, and rescue team members sustained injuries after encountering explosive devices planted by the kidnappers — a tactic suggesting ideological motivation beyond economic banditry.

President Bola Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards and the establishment of additional military bases along vulnerable corridors linking Kwara and parts of the southern region. A high-powered federal delegation led by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, visited the affected communities in Oyo State. Additionally, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, is reportedly leading a “technology-driven” rescue operation, with six persons believed to be informants and logistics suppliers already arrested. President Tinubu has also reiterated the necessity of state police as a long-term solution to Nigeria’s security challenges. “Cases of kidnapping further make imperative the establishment of state police to provide more personnel in some of the underserved areas. The National Assembly should accelerate the enactment of the law creating state police,” Tinubu was quoted as saying. The South-West governors had previously agreed to establish a Security Trust Fund and a real-time digital security platform devoted to raising threat alerts and coordinating rapid cross-border response to criminality. Lagos State Governor and Chairman of the South-West governors’ forum, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, affirmed their collective commitment to reclaiming the forests and ensuring these spaces no longer serve as safe corridors for bandits and kidnappers.

Kidnapping in South-West Is a Business, Not a Religious War — Ex-Minister Olanrewaju