- urges Osun residents to report suspicious persons
By John Dike, Osogbo
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has called on residents across the state to remain highly vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements, persons and activities to security agencies following reported plans by terrorists to attack places of worship in the state.
The governor, who raised the alarm on Sunday in Osogbo, particularly urged residents in border communities to be on the lookout for unusual influx of strange persons and movements that could pose a threat to the security of lives and property.
A statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, said Adeleke’s appeal followed reports of alleged planned terrorist attacks targeting places of worship in the state.
The governor stressed that effective intelligence gathering and timely information sharing between residents and security agencies remained critical to preventing any attempt to destabilise the state.
Adeleke urged members of the public not to ignore unusual developments in their communities, but to immediately draw the attention of the police, Department of State Services (DSS) and other relevant security agencies to any suspected threat.
He said: “We must provide the police and other security agencies with intelligence reports, with noticeable threats, in our communities. As we are aware of alleged plots to attack our places of worship, we must become extra vigilant. Report anything unusual without any delay.”
The governor commended the DSS for what he described as proactive measures aimed at countering the reported security threats, while directing other security agencies in the state to review the situation and strengthen their preparedness.
“I commend the Department of State Service (DSS) for taking proactive measures to counter the threats. I charge other security agencies to review the situation and develop an action plan to strengthen security of lives and properties,” Adeleke said.
He disclosed that his administration would soon convene a meeting of the State Security Council to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the emerging security situation and evaluate the effectiveness of the state’s response mechanisms.
According to him, the meeting would provide an opportunity for the various security agencies to review available intelligence, identify possible vulnerabilities and develop coordinated measures to prevent any security breach.
Adeleke also appealed to residents to be cautious about persons they accommodate or allow into their communities, stressing that community-level vigilance could play an important role in preventing criminal elements from establishing footholds in the state.
“We should be wary of people we host in our communities,” he warned.
The governor extended the call to traditional rulers across Osun, urging royal fathers to convene meetings of their respective traditional councils to deliberate on the reported threats and mobilise their communities towards greater vigilance.
He said the involvement of traditional institutions was particularly important because of their close relationship with residents and their knowledge of developments within their respective communities.
“On this note, I charge our royal fathers to also host their traditional council meetings on this development. We must nip in the bud the evil plans of enemies of public peace,” the governor said.
The warning comes against the backdrop of the administration’s stated commitment to maintaining peace and stability in Osun following the 2026 governorship election.
Adeleke said his government remained committed to post-election peace building but would not allow criminal elements, terrorists or bandits to exploit the situation to undermine public order.
“Our administration is committed to post-election peace building and we must tighten state security to foil any attempt by terrorists and bandits to disrupt public peace,” he said.
The governor consequently appealed to residents, community leaders, religious organisations and traditional institutions to work closely with security agencies by providing credible and timely information capable of assisting security operatives in preventing attacks.
He emphasised that residents should not wait until an incident occurred before alerting the authorities, urging them instead to report suspicious developments immediately so that security agencies could investigate and take appropriate preventive measures.
The governor’s appeal also places renewed emphasis on community intelligence as a major component of the state’s security strategy, particularly in communities located close to state and national borders where the movement of people can be difficult to monitor.
While urging residents to remain vigilant, the governor called for responsible information sharing and cooperation with security agencies to ensure that genuine threats were identified and addressed before they escalated.
He assured residents that the state government would continue to collaborate with security agencies to protect lives and property and maintain peace across the state.
