Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Adeyemo, widely known as Sunday Igboho, has formally launched the Ogun State chapter of the Iru Ekun Security Network, presenting the group as a community-based response to worsening insecurity across the South-West.
The launch has attracted attention and controversy in equal measure. Supporters see a grassroots effort to protect vulnerable communities, while critics are asking who will train, arm, supervise and hold the organisation accountable.
Igboho promises discipline and government coordination
Speaking at the event, Igboho said the Federal Government would determine who trains members, while the Ogun State Government would decide where they are deployed. He also said trained members would receive identification cards at the local-government level.
Igboho warned volunteers against reckless conduct and said official recognition was essential if the network was to operate lawfully and support community security.
Government approval has not been independently confirmed
At the time of publication, DiasporaTV had not found a formal statement from the Federal Government or Ogun State Government confirming that Iru Ekun had been authorised, adopted or scheduled for official training.
Igboho’s statements therefore represent his account of the proposed relationship with government. They should not yet be interpreted as proof that the network has received statutory security powers.
Why the initiative resonates
Kidnapping, farm attacks, highway crime and fear in rural communities have led many Nigerians to demand security arrangements closer to the people. The creation of Amotekun across several South-West states demonstrated the political demand for regional security support.
But community protection can become dangerous when command structures, recruitment standards and rules on the use of force are unclear. An organisation created to protect residents must not become a source of intimidation, ethnic profiling or political enforcement.
The questions Ogun authorities must answer
The Ogun State Government and federal security agencies should clarify whether they recognise Iru Ekun, what legal framework would govern it and how its members would be vetted. Authorities must also explain its relationship with the police, Amotekun and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Community security can succeed only when it combines local knowledge with professional training, human-rights safeguards, transparent funding and firm civilian oversight.
For residents desperate for protection, the promise may sound encouraging. But legality and accountability cannot be treated as details to be settled after deployment.