Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has expanded his community security initiative into Ogun State with the formal launch of the Iru Ekun Security Network.
The inauguration, held on Wednesday, drew a large crowd of supporters, with hundreds attending the event and reports indicating that thousands of volunteers have expressed interest in joining the initiative.
Iru Ekun, meaning “leopard’s tail” in Yoruba, was established by Igboho as a community-based security initiative aimed at supporting efforts to tackle kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities across the South-West.
The Ogun launch marks another step in Igboho’s push to establish the security network in communities across the region.
Videos and photographs from the event showed supporters gathered under canopies and along surrounding streets, with many of the volunteers wearing matching black outfits and caps.
Addressing the gathering, Igboho outlined how the organisation would operate, particularly its proposed relationship with government authorities.
He stressed that discipline would be a major requirement for anyone participating in the network, warning volunteers against abusing the authority or identification they would receive after training.
“You must have discipline. Do not engage in reckless behaviour or ruin things just because they have trained you and you have ID card,” Igboho told the volunteers.
According to the activist, the training of members would be determined at the federal level, while the Ogun State Government would decide where trained personnel would be deployed.
“Federal Government will decide who will come and train us. The Governor’s Office tell us where they will place us.
“As they wrap up that training, every person will be issued an ID card at the local government level,” he said.
Government support
Igboho also said the Ogun State Government had indicated its willingness to support the initiative.
He disclosed that the government was expected to determine a monthly allowance for members of the network, which he said would help them cater for their families while carrying out their duties.
“The Governor has also given us assurance. They have given us support here, and they will decide what monthly allowance to provide to us, to support us, because we have wives, and we have children,” he said.
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The activist said the proposed identification system would be particularly important because it would give members official identification and help ensure that they operate within the boundaries of the law.
He added that the initiative was designed not only to contribute to community security but also to create a structured system through which volunteers could perform their duties while supporting their families.
Igboho compares Iru Ekun with Civil Defence
Igboho said he believed Iru Ekun could eventually develop into a more formally recognised security organisation if its operations were properly managed.
He drew a comparison with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, recalling its beginnings as a community-based initiative before becoming a federally recognised organisation.
“This organisation we established, if we execute it properly, just like Civil Defence. They started at the market. We used to call them ‘Little Defence,’ but they did good work with what they were doing. The federal government have now fully established it across all of Nigeria,” he said.
The launch in Ogun comes as security remains a major concern across the South-West, particularly over kidnapping, banditry and other forms of criminality.
For Igboho, the immediate challenge will be turning the enthusiasm displayed at the launch into a disciplined and properly coordinated network capable of operating within the law.
The activist’s emphasis on government-led training, official identification and state-directed deployment suggests an attempt to position Iru Ekun as a structured community security initiative rather than an informal vigilante group.