Terrorists’ threat: Fear grips Oyo community as deadline approaches

By Samuel Ogunsona

The terrororists wrote they would attack Ikoyi-Ile, an historical town in Oyo State, located in Oriire Local Government Area.

The date set by the terrorists is January 20. As the clock ticks, the deadline is approaching as some residents have started moving away from their ancestral home.

“They wrote to us with courage and determination that they would invade Ikoyi-Ile on January 20, which is a Tuesday. Though security has been beefed up by locals and the police, but some residents are fleeing,” a member of Agbekoya, Alhaji Bade Oriire who lives in the area told our correspondent on Tuesday.

He said the threat confirms the intention of the terrorists which appears to be a strategy to relaunched the 1804 Jihad led by Uthman Dan Fodio.

“Why planning to invade Ikoyi-Ile? Its simply a Jihad agenda. Its a threat to the entire Yoruba Nation,” Oriire said.

He said locals are living in fear following reports that suspected bandits have threatened to attack the community.

The warning was written in Yoruba but security experts told our correspondent that the terrorists have their kinsmen who understand, write and speak Yoruba.

One source said writing the threat in Yoruba may just be a decoy to cover up the identity of the terrorists.

The threat came days after a deadly incident in the same local government area, where Fulani gunmen killed five people at Old Oyo National Park.

The warning, conveyed through two handwritten notes discovered in the town, has sparked anxiety among residents.

One of the notes, written in Yoruba, reads: “A o wa ni January 20th, 2026. E duro de wa ati pe ki e mu ra fun wa le. A wa lati wa fun yin ni ibanuje ni orilede yin.” Translated, the message warns residents to prepare for harm and suggests compliance with the bandits’ demands.

A second note, written in English, states: “Bandit information. See, now, Three days we work for you. We said you in Ikoyi-Ile are the government that sent us. Wait for us.”

The authenticity of the notes is yet to be verified, but the messages have generated palpable fear in the community.

Residents are staying indoors and reinforcing security measures at homes and businesses in anticipation of possible violence.

The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed awareness of the development and launched an investigation.

“We haven’t received such a letter formally, but investigations have been launched immediately and it was brought to our attention,” the command’s Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ayanlade Olayinka, said. “The individual who allegedly discovered the note is currently undergoing debriefing, while the Command has launched a full-scale investigation to determine the origin and intent of the note.”

Security analysts note that Oriire Local Government Area has become a hotspot for violent crimes in recent months, raising concerns over the safety of residents in surrounding rural communities.

Local leaders and vigilante groups in Ikoyi-Ile have appealed to the government and security agencies to intensify patrols and provide security.