By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The traditional ruler of Iwoye-Ketu in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State,Oba Isaac Oyero has raised fresh concerns over worsening insecurity in the border community, warning that the absence of adequate Nigerian security presence has left residents exposed to criminal activities.
The monarch disclosed this On Sunday, 1 February, 2026 in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Abel Babatunde, while reacting to the recent attack on operatives of the Ogun I Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service at Akokoro, a village under Iwoye-Ketu, during which two officers were injured.
According to Oyero, the incident further underscored long-standing security lapses in the area, which he said has for years been plagued by armed herders, armed robbers and kidnappers terrorising a population of over 25,000 people, based on the 2006 census figures.
He disclosed that the entire community is currently served by only three poorly equipped police officers, despite its vast landmass and border location.
Consequently, he noted that whatever semblance of security exists in parts of Iwoye-Ketu and its environs is largely provided by police operatives from the Republic of Benin stationed across the border.
The royal father explained that large expanses of abandoned farmlands and forest reserves within the community remain ungoverned and under-policed, thereby creating safe havens and transit routes for criminal elements, some of whom operate across national boundaries.
Condemning the attack on the Customs operatives as barbaric and unacceptable, Oyero called for a thorough investigation to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.He also rejected claims linking the community to large-scale illicit drug trafficking.
“While it is an open secret that cross-border trade in items such as rice and fuel exists along this corridor, as is the case in many Nigerian border towns, the allegation that a 12-tyre truck was transporting illicit drugs through our area is shocking and alien to the history and character of Iwoye-Ketu,” the
monarch said.
He stressed that such a dangerous criminal enterprise does not reflect the values or activities of the community, urging the Ogun I Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service to conduct a comprehensive probe into the incident.
“For decades, the people of Iwoye-Ketu have repeatedly called on governments at all levels to strengthen security presence in our area. We have suffered attacks ranging from armed robbery to kidnapping and even the killing of farmers by armed herders,” Oyero said.
He added that a newly built police station in the area remains largely unoccupied due to logistical constraints, further worsening the security vacuum. According to him, the nearest Nigerian security response point is in Imeko, about 20 kilometres away, while some border communities are even farther and practically unreachable during emergencies.
“The unfortunate reality is that the porosity of the Iwoye-Ketu border allows foreign criminal elements to move in and out with relative ease. Ironically, much of the security stability presently enjoyed in some parts of the area is due to the well-equipped Beninese police force on their side of the border,” he said.
Against this backdrop, the monarch appealed to the Federal Government and relevant security agencies to urgently establish a fully equipped and operational security base in Iwoye-Ketu, similar to what exists across the border in Benin Republic.
“This will not only protect our people but also strengthen Nigeria’s border security and disrupt the activities of transnational criminal networks,” he said, while reaffirming that Iwoye-Ketu remains a peaceful, law-abiding and patriotic community.
Oyero added that the community stands in solidarity with the Nigeria Customs Service and other lawful security agencies in their efforts to combat crime, pledging continued cooperation to safeguard lives and property in the border area.
