Igboho Defends Actions Against Crime as ACF Warns of Anarchy

One man says he is protecting his people. Others warn that what he is doing could tip Nigeria toward something far more dangerous.

Yoruba self-determination activist Sunday Igboho has defended his recent actions against criminal elements operating in Oyo State, even as the Arewa Consultative Forum and the Northern Elders Forum issued a joint warning that such actions risk pushing the country toward anarchy. The exchange has reignited a long-running national debate about the proper boundaries of civilian self-defence amid Nigeria’s persistent insecurity crisis.

What Igboho Has Said

Igboho, who has previously positioned himself as a vocal advocate for Yoruba self-determination and regional security, defended his recent involvement in confronting suspected criminal elements within Oyo State communities. He framed his actions as a necessary response to a security vacuum that he argues official government structures have failed to fill adequately.

His comments come against the backdrop of Southwest Nigeria’s growing kidnapping crisis, with Ondo, Oyo, and Ekiti States all reporting rising incidents in recent months. For many residents in affected communities, frustration with perceived government inaction has created space for figures like Igboho to position themselves as alternative protectors.

The ACF and NEF Warning

However, the Arewa Consultative Forum and Northern Elders Forum responded with sharp concern, warning that unregulated civilian actors taking enforcement matters into their own hands risks creating a dangerous precedent. They argued that such activities, however well-intentioned, could quickly spiral beyond control and contribute to broader societal instability rather than genuine security improvement.

The two groups urged the federal government to intervene directly, both to address the underlying insecurity driving such civilian responses and to ensure that law enforcement remains the sole legitimate authority for confronting criminal activity. Furthermore, they cautioned against allowing regional or ethnic based vigilante movements to gain unchecked influence.

A Familiar but Unresolved Tension

This is not the first time Nigeria has grappled with the tension between official security failures and the rise of civilian self-defence movements. Amotekun in the Southwest and various vigilante groups across the North have long occupied a complicated space between community protection and unregulated authority.

As insecurity continues to spread into previously stable regions, this debate is likely to intensify rather than resolve quickly. The government now faces pressure from multiple directions: communities demanding protection, security forces stretched thin, and civilian actors increasingly willing to fill the gap themselves, with consequences that remain genuinely difficult to predict.