Oluwo of Iwo warns against foreign interference in Nigeria’s security, urging careful review of US ties and stronger local collaboration to fight banditry

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against foreign involvement in Nigeria’s security operations, stressing that external interventions could conceal hidden agendas and deepen internal divisions.

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In a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesperson, Ibrahim Alli, Oba Akanbi urged the administration to carefully review its engagement with the United States in the national interest.

“The success recorded by President Bola Tinubu’s administration is a threat to Western countries. The current rampancy of banditry is suspicious and must be handled with caution,” the monarch said.

He added that the interaction with the Trump administration “might be a ploy to disorganise and disunite the nation” and warned that African countries should not blindly trust foreign interventions in security matters.

Oba Akanbi also condemned the politicisation of insecurity, emphasising that no country can effectively tackle banditry while divided along religious or political lines.

He urged Nigerians to support security agencies with credible intelligence and to embrace national unity.

The monarch commiserated with residents of Kwara State following the recent bandit attack on Woro village in Kaiama Local Government Area, expressing concern over what he described as muted reactions to the incident.

“More than 170 Nigerians, who are Muslims, were killed overnight. No nation in the world has successfully won banditry with religious sentiment,” he said.

He criticised stakeholders exploiting violent incidents for political or religious gains, describing such actions as unpatriotic, and called for stronger collaboration between security agencies and local communities.