By Dayo Johnson, Regional Editor, South West
On Friday, May 15 2026, scores of terrorists riding on motorcycles came in broad daylight when pupils of Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School as well as students of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo state were already in the classrooms. In an operation that didn’t last long but claimed the life of a teacher, the terrorists abducted 39 pupils and students including toddlers and seven of their teachers and herded them into the forest. While in captivity, the terrorists slaughtered one of the male teachers and one of the pupils was said to have died. The remaining abductees are still being held in the forest almost one month after without being rescued. This has caused great concern and anguish among the residents especially in the South West region in the country provoking protests and strikes by the teachers.
Read Also: ‘All I see are videos with guns pointed at her’: Families of Oyo captives recount ordeal
Expressing concern over the spate of insecurity in the region, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, last Sunday at the grand finale of the 2026 Ifa festival, described the abduction as painful and unacceptable. He therefore tasked traditional rulers across Yorubaland to deploy their ancestral powers to fight the terrorists. He said, “We must bring together our traditional powers, spiritual heritage, and communal values to chase bandits, kidnappers, and all criminal elements out of Yorubaland and Nigeria as a whole. Our ancestors stood for justice, peace, and communal harmony, and we must invoke those values at this critical time. We must rise collectively against the menace of banditry and kidnapping. Enough is enough. Our people deserve to live in peace and move freely without fear. Traditional rulers must take greater responsibility in safeguarding their communities while supporting the efforts of the government and security agencies”.
However, some residents dismissed the claim of ancestral powers by the Ooni of Ife. They argued that such powers have no place in this modern day of AK 47 rifles and atomic bombs and wondered why such powers have not been deployed when terrorists have for several years been operating from the forests in Yorubaland.
Rising to the challenge, Yoruba traditionalists and monarchs agreed with the Ooni of Ife insisting that
they had their potent traditional powers to protect their land and that they were ready to do so. They said all they needed however was for the government to give them the necessary support.
According to them, the resort to the use of traditional powers in this modern day of technology and Artificial Intelligence was because of their helplessness in the face of insecurity that has ravaged their land. They lamented that as armed herders were destroying their farmlands with impunity, their people were being abducted for huge ransom and in some cases killed by the terrorists while the government they look up to, to discharge its responsibilities of protecting them has demonstrated it’s incapable of doing so. They therefore have no choice than to go back to the old ways of protecting their communities as handed over to them by their forefathers.
We can capture the terrorists with their AK-47—Oba Ilori-Faboro
The Olojudo of Ido and former Chairman, Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers, Oba Ayorinde Ilori-Faboro, said, “traditional spiritual means could be used to tackle insecurity and such powers remain effective when properly applied. Our native means are very potent and effective for people who know how to use it and where to do the original thing.
“Spiritual powers still exist among some Yoruba people, and that is why those unscrupulous herders are afraid of Yoruba land. It is not all about guns. Our people have been capturing them even with their AK-47. Our forefathers deployed these powers to protect their communities from invaders but unfortunately we have allowed foreign religions to demonize our way of life.
“People who still have these powers are using it and they are protected. It is something that we have to invest in and encourage the people who have the power to exercise it and use it to protect Yorubaland.
“However, it is not everybody who has access to those spiritual powers for protection. Babalawo is not a business for everybody, it is for the initiated. Three Obas were attacked sometime ago by kidnappers, they were the Olumojo, Elesun and Alara. But Alara escaped. How did he escape? So, it is not everybody who has access to such means. Some people also decided to abandon such powers and embraced their new belief. So everybody will rely on what he has”
It’s possible to protect our forest without firing a gun — Elebuibon
A traditionalist, Ogundeji ¸lebuìbÍn in his response said “it is very possible and doable to protect the vast forest across the southwest without shooting a gun. The potent traditional means of doing so is still very active and available. However, who will go into the forest without government clearance, which is the reason we are advocating that governors in the southwest should convene a security summit to discuss alternative means of ensuring security of our forest.
“There is the need for a holistic discussion with traditionalists and others who possess the ancestral means of protecting Yorubaland. It has been done before and it is possible again. We just need the government to show the will and give us the necessary support. The summit can be held under the auspices of traditional authorities who know everyone in their domain with the wherewithal to resolve the crisis in the country and particularly in Yorubaland.
“There were times in the region that local guards would just go to their place of work in the evening, prepare some charms and return and no one dared to steal after the guards must have left such places. These things are still available but there must be a kind of collaboration and authority given to those who will embark on such adventures to start using them.
“When traditional rulers assumed authority, they usually funded the preparation of such items, but now every person is on his own and those in government do not want to believe in such things or provide a budget for it believing it is not scientific”.
Our ancestral power is real, effective and we’re determined to deploy it — Deji of Akureland
Deji of Akureland, Oba Aladelusi Aladetoyinbo who spoke through his media manager, Michael Adeyeye said that, “the position of the Ooni is sacrosanct and we are not leaving any stone unturned in this respect of deploying our ancestral power to chase out terrorists from our domains.
“However, you know all these efforts are not what we will bring to the full glare of the public for open discussion. We are in an era when most people have lost faith in our ancestral powers and the viability of what our ancestors left for us.
“I can tell you that in the real sense of it, these ancestral powers are still effective and real but we must also exercise caution while deploying them. The powers have their own rules and application mode as well. As effective as they could be, there are other factors that will be considered in invoking our ancestral powers for defence.
“We are having our meeting to consider most of these suggestions by many people on the need to consider using our traditional weapons in defending our people. However, we will do this within the ambit of the law and ensure that no one is hiding under such to perpetrate any evil or illegality.
“You can imagine that some of our people can misuse the powers within their reach for other things which can cause damage in the long term. These are the reasons we must carry out such activities in a way that will not have any bandwagon effect. You will see that we are working with some of our Vigilantes within our community in this respect. We are hopeful that the results of these efforts will be visible in no distant time”.
Only desperate measures can fix a desperate situation — Ekiti Council of Elders
Also, Elder Niyi Ajibulu, General Secretary of the Ekiti Council of Elders, said, “I appreciate Ooni for giving such timely advice. But most importantly, we should sensitize everybody to be vigilant. It is the responsibility of government to protect lives and property and now that the government is failing in its primary duty of protecting the citizenry, that is why the Ooni, the other Obas, elders and everybody are calling for a return to our old ways of protecting our communities in order to complement government effort.
“We have been having reports to confirm the efficacy of these traditional powers. Those who know the usage and efficacy of these powers are still alive and can still be consulted to deploy them for the protection of our people in the Southwest. The Southwest’s worsening insecurity is deeply troubling, which appeared to have overwhelmed the government. Only desperate measures can fix a desperate situation, including deployment of traditional means, through the traditional hunters and Babalawos
“The truth of the matter is that this problem is escalating by the day. There was a time we had a lull and we thought that it was going down, then there was a push back by the insurgents in the South West region. Look at the case of Eda-Oniyo now, where we have almost 16 people in the bush for over a month. Also, besides the traditional power, everybody including market women, hunters and farmers should play their role”.
We’re ready to use the powers to defend our land — Oodua Security Network
A traditionalist and commander of Oodua Security Network (OSN), Olayemi Victor Egbeola, said the Yoruba ethnic group has the power to confront bandits and other forms of criminality in the Southwest geo-political zone. Egbeola agreed with Ooni of Ife, Oba Eniitan Ogunwusi, that the ethnic group has the power to confront the invaders troubling the peace of the zone and the country.
His words, “There is such power in Yorubaland here. But we cannot use it because of the way the governments are doing things. There are rules by the government and we cannot flout them. That is why we, the Yorubas, fold our arms to look at what is going to happen. Let all our traditional rulers permit us to deploy our ancestral powers. We are ready to use the powers to defend our land. We are ready to put the power to use once we have the permission of the necessary government agencies.”
Such powers should complement, not substitute effort of security agencies — International Council for Ifa Religion
On his part, Chief Fayemi Fatunde Fakayode, President of the International Council for Ifa Religion said: “The statement by the Ooni of Ife should be understood within the context of Yoruba traditional spirituality and the historic responsibility of traditional institutions to promote peace, justice and security within their communities.
“However, it is important to clarify that ancestral powers, as understood in the Yoruba worldview, are not magical instruments to be deployed as one would deploy conventional security forces. The Yoruba tradition teaches that spiritual forces work in conjunction with human responsibility, righteous leadership, truth, justice and collective action. Therefore, when traditional rulers are called upon to invoke ancestral support against terrorism and criminality, such a call should be seen as a complementary effort to the work of security agencies, governments and communities, not as a substitute for them.
“Those who ask why such powers have not previously eliminated kidnapping, banditry or terrorism raise a legitimate question. The reality is that traditional spirituality has never claimed to absolve society of its duty to maintain vigilance, good governance and effective law enforcement. Spiritual interventions are most effective when there is alignment between moral conduct, communal unity and practical security measures. It is also worth noting that traditional rulers do not possess unilateral authority over every individual operating within forests and remote territories. Criminality is a complex challenge driven by social, economic, political and security factors. To suggest that spiritual measures alone can eradicate such threats would be an oversimplification of a serious national problem.
“As custodians of Yoruba spiritual heritage, we believe that prayers, rituals and ancestral invocations can strengthen the moral and spiritual resolve of communities. Nevertheless, lasting security requires collaboration among traditional institutions, religious bodies, security agencies, governments and citizens alike. The focus should therefore not be on questioning whether ancestral powers exist, but on how all stakeholders can work together, each within their sphere of responsibility, to restore safety, peace and prosperity across Yorubaland and Nigeria as a whole.”
Govts not ready to share burden or credit for security outcomes — Yoruba Commitment Forum
For Otunba Tayo Onayemi, Convener of the Yoruba Commitment Forum, “the issue is not necessarily whether ancestral powers exist, but whether such matters should be publicly proclaimed by a paramount traditional ruler. The public nature of the call raises important questions about the image, harmony and authority of traditional institutions.
“With due respect to His Imperial Majesty, I take exception to the public nature of this call. Is it necessary to make a public declaration on a matter of this nature? Historically, has this been the accepted practice among Yoruba traditional rulers? Security remains a sensitive issue requiring strategic engagement rather than public pronouncements. When last was a comprehensive meeting of Yoruba traditional rulers convened to deliberate on pressing issues affecting the region?
“Beyond the issue of procedure, there are also constitutional limitations surrounding traditional intervention in security matters. Government institutions may be reluctant to openly endorse spiritual approaches to combating crime because such measures fall outside the legal framework of state security operations.
“The deployment of ancestral powers to combat crime is not recognized within Nigeria’s constitutional framework. Governments are generally protective of their constitutional responsibilities and may not wish to share either the burden or the credit for security outcomes with institutions that have no formally defined role. Yet, traditional approaches should not be entirely dismissed. I believe that invoking ancestral powers in support of efforts to address insecurity is not entirely out of place. If such interventions are embraced by practitioners and adherents, they could complement conventional security efforts.
“The absence of such initiatives in the past could be attributed to a combination of government reluctance and disunity among traditional rulers, who are expected to serve as custodians of ancestral values and heritage. Also, not all traditional rulers today actively engage in preserving and promoting the traditional values and practices of their ancestors as many have become adherents of foreign religions and belief systems”.
We have capacity to confront insecurity with our traditional powers — Community leader
A community leader Mr. Niyi Rotimi, contended that the debate goes beyond security and touches on the gradual erosion of Yoruba cultural identity. According to him, “the Yoruba people have increasingly distanced themselves from their indigenous beliefs and traditional value systems, largely due to the influence of imported religions. We have abandoned much of our cultural heritage and traditional belief system. The indigenous spirituality historically played a significant role in governance, warfare, hunting and community protection. In pre-colonial times, kings, hunters and warriors routinely consulted Ifa before embarking on major undertakings.
“Through divination, guidance was sought on the safest paths, potential dangers and strategies for confronting enemies. There are traditional beliefs surrounding spiritual forces such as Sango, associated with thunder and lightning; Iji, representing wind; Oyin, symbolising bees; and Ojo, representing rain. Other spiritual concepts involve confusion, memory loss and internal discord among adversaries. Traditionalists also reference spiritual institutions and forces such as Egbe, Isiju and Kanako as part of the broader indigenous system of protection and guidance. Many adherents believe these traditional systems possess the capacity to address contemporary challenges, including insecurity.
“The Ooni’s call represents a reminder to traditional rulers to reconnect with the spiritual responsibilities historically associated with their offices as many traditional institutions have become disconnected from the systems they were established to uphold.
“Yoruba society still possesses the cultural resources to confront insecurity through traditional means but there must be unity, coordination and leadership from key traditional figures. The capacity is still there. What is required is coordinated leadership, unity among traditional institutions and a deliberate effort to mobilize stakeholders across Yorubaland.”
; Rotimi Ojomoyela, Shina Abubakar, James Ogunnnaike & Adeola Badru contributed to this report.
