The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has urged Yoruba monarchs to take full control of their homelands and work in unison to tackle banditry and kidnappings.

He asked them to make use of supernatural powers to defend themselves and their territories from marauders, warning those disinterested in such powers to step down from their thrones.

The monarch spoke on Thursday during the inaugural Yoruba Security Summit, which was convened in response to the escalating insecurity in the Southwest and the tragic killings of traditional rulers in Ekiti and Kwara states.

Following the summit’s conclusion, a communique was issued and signed by the Ooni of Ife, together with other monarchs, such as the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade; the Owa-Ajero of Ijero Ekiti, Oba Joseph Adewole; and the Akarigbo of Remo, Oba Babatunde Adewale Ajayi.

The monarchs of the Southwest region agreed to several measures to address insecurity, including organising regional security summits led by Southwest governors and empowering and strengthening the Amotekun Corps with enhanced training, financing, and modern weapons to tackle local security challenges.

They emphasised the importance of traditional values and the roles of Yoruba traditional rulers in combating banditry and kidnapping.

The communique also urged the incorporation of traditional rulers into the national security framework and called for the reinforcement of the judicial process to ensure appropriate punishment for offenders.

The summit concluded with a call for strong support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and emphasised the need for regular Yoruba security summits to address evolving security dynamics.

The communique partly reads, “Yoruba people should take full control of their forests, homelands and farmlands.

“The Yoruba, especially traditional rulers, should make recourse to their natural resources, including natural powers, to combat banditry and kidnapping; that Yoruba Obas should not jettison traditional values.

“Government at all levels should recognise the roles of traditional rulers and factor them into the national security architecture.

“The entire Obas in Yorubaland should work in unison to ward off the evils of banditry and kidnappings, as each of the states can only succeed in chasing the marauders to another state.

“Any Oba who is disinterested in Yoruba culture and custom should abdicate his throne for anyone who is deeply versed and interested in Yoruba traditions.”