The South West Governors Forum has called on the federal government of Nigeria to as a matter of urgency commence the process of creating state police amid the rising tension and national security concerns.
This was as the governors unveiled a long list of security and development resolutions, targeted at addressing some of the pressing security challenges and socioeconomic necessities for the region’s development.
The meeting held on Monday, 21 November 2025, at the Oyo state governor’s office, state Secretariat, Ibadan.
The meeting brought together governors from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti to take stock of regional concerns and map out a coordinated response amid rising tension and security concerns.
The governor of Osun state, Senator Ademola Adeleke, was represented by his deputy, Kola Adewusi.
Lagos state governor, Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, read the communique at the end of the marathon closed doors meeting.
The governors also expressed solidarity with the Federal Government following recent kidnappings in Kebbi, Kwara and Niger states, including the abductions at Government Girls’ Comprehensive School, Maga, St Mary’s Catholic Institution in Papiri and the CAC Church in Eruku.
They praised the swift rescue of the victims in Niger and Kwara, saying the response offered a measure of hope at a tense moment.
After reviewing current threats, the forum announced a series of joint security measures aimed at tightening coordination and improving response capacity.
The governors revealed that a new Security Trust Fund will be launched and domiciled at the DAWN Commission. The Fund will be overseen by Special Advisers on Security from each of the states. Also, the governors security aides have been mandated to meet monthly and supervise funding priorities across the bloc.
The governors also agreed to set up a live digital intelligence sharing platform that will allow the six states to exchange threat alerts, log incidents and coordinate cross-border responses.
According to the communiqué, the tool is expected to strengthen early warning systems and bring some order to information flow across agencies.
Speaking on forest surveillance, the governors noted how wooded belts have become havens for criminal groups and stress the need to immediately enhance surveillance around it across the region.
The forum equally acknowledged the work of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, local hunters and Amotekun operatives, but stressed that the scale of the challenge requires federal backing at this point.
They urge the Federal Government to without further delays, deploy forest guards across the region while states provide personnel, saying the goal is to reclaim the forests and deny criminals the cover they have enjoyed for too long.
Also speaking on unregulated interstate migration, the governors described it as a growing risk and called for tighter border monitoring and better data collection.
They expressed readiness to work collaboratively with the National Identity Management Commission to improve identification processes and prevent porous routes from becoming pipelines for crime.
Addressing issues bothering on Illegal mining, the forum warned that unchecked mining has continud to degrade land, threaten public health and provide cover for violent groups. They called for a stricter licensing framework and stronger enforcement to curb the problem.
On the long-debated issue of state policing, the governors restated their support and urged that the process be fast-tracked, insisting that the need has become impossible to ignore.
Speaking on agriculture and food security in the region, the governors acknowledged recent improvements in food production across the South west and commended farmers for managing to stabilise output despite difficult conditions.
While expressing appreciation to President Tinubu for establishing the South West Development Commission, they urged the new body to stay focused on its mandate.
The governors commended the management team of Odu’a Investment Company for consistently surpassing revenue targets and encouraged them to keep the momentum.
The governors however, called for unity and a shared commitment to peace among residents in the region noting that the South West has long been known for religious tolerance and civic cohesion, maintainimlng that these values remain essential as the region works through the present challenging period.
Addressing journalists shortly after the meeting, the Managing Director and Chief Executive ODiji-Akino South West Development Commission, Charles Diji-Akinola, who expressed confidence in the translation of the governors resolutions to actualization.
He commended the governors for being visionary by uniting to addressing pressing challenges of the region.