Governors of the South-West are meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, over the security situation in the region.
At the meeting the Governors renewed their call for the creation of state police to tackle the security challenges bedeviling the region and the country in general.
The meeting had in attendance, Governors in attendance Governors Seyi Makinde(Oyo), Dapo Abiodun(Ogun), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Lucky Aiyedatiwa(Ondo) and Biodun Oyebanji(Ekiti).
While Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke was represented by his deputy, Kola Adeusi.
The governors also took stock of regional concerns and mapped out a coordinated response amid insecurity and rising fears within the South-West.
Sanwo-Olu read the communiqué at the end of the closed-door meeting that lasted for many hours
The governors harped on regional integration and agreed to create a South West Regional Security Fund to strengthen the region’s response to insecurity, especially rising incidents of kidnapping, banditry, illegal mining, and unregulated interstate migration.
The Forum said the fund would be managed by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission and supervised by the special advisers on security from all six states.
It said the fund would support coordinated operations, joint intelligence sharing, and rapid response initiatives across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti states.
The governors further expressed concern over unregulated interstate migration, calling for stricter border monitoring and collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure proper identification of migrants and prevent criminal infiltration.
While raising the alarm over the rise in illegal mining activities, they called for a stronger licensing framework and tougher enforcement to curb environmental and security threats linked to unlawful mining operations.
The governors also approved the establishment of a live, digital intelligence-sharing platform that would enable real-time exchange of threat alerts, incident reports, and inter-state security communication.
On forest security, the governors urged the Federal Government to support the deployment of Forest Guards across the region to reclaim forest belts currently used as hideouts by criminal elements.
