The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade 1, has issued a powerful call for the Nigerian government to urgently incorporate traditional institutions and native intelligence into the nation's official National Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The monarch made this appeal on 27 November 2025 while addressing a gathering of various security forces in Oyo.
A Holistic Approach to National Security
Oba Owoade emphasized that a purely military or state-centric approach is insufficient for tackling the country's complex security challenges. He argued that for terrorism to be effectively rooted out, the government must first seriously address underlying development issues through genuinely people-oriented policies. The Alaafin identified traditional rulers and the native intelligence they command as crucial, yet severely underutilised, assets in the national security architecture.
His audience included combined units of the Police, Civil Defence Corps personnel, Amotekun corps, and local vigilante outfits established by his palace. These local groups were specifically created to prevent bandit infiltration into villages and forests around the Oyo metropolis and the Oke Ogun areas, and to flush out existing threats.
The Power of Native Intelligence
The royal father explained the unique advantage that traditional rulers possess. Their deep local roots and the implicit trust they enjoy among the populace enable them to access sensitive information and foster community cooperation in ways that formal state security agencies often find difficult to achieve.
"Traditional rulers are well-positioned at the grassroots level to gather 'native intelligence' on the entry and exit of unknown persons, suspicious activities, and potential threats," Oba Owoade stated. He described this form of human intelligence as a vital complement to formal mechanisms, as it provides crucial local context, knowledge of the terrain, and insight into local customs and nuances essential for successful counter-terrorism operations.
Learning from History and Technology
The Alaafin pointed out that Nigeria is not alone in facing security challenges, but the fundamental difference lies in how a nation chooses to respond. He drew a powerful historical parallel, noting that the Old Oyo Empire lasted for more than 600 years primarily because of its effective native internal security systems.
He also called for a modern, holistic system for information gathering that harmonizes the roles of security agencies with the strategic deployment of technology for identifying criminal suspects. Despite acknowledging Nigeria's abundant resources and growth, the monarch lamented the patent increase in the absence of real development, which he linked to the deterioration of social relations and quality of life for the majority of citizens.
Oba Owoade concluded with a stark warning, stating that "Three quarters of the universe is in a state of unrest due to a lack of effective internal security," underscoring the global urgency of getting security strategy right.
