The Commandant of the Oyo State Security Network, Colonel Olayinka Olayanju (rtd), has raised alarm over the influx of foreign nationals and northerners into rural mining communities in Oyo State, describing the development as a looming threat to security.
Speaking in an interview with journalist Edmund Obilo, Olayanju painted a dire picture of areas like Itasa and Kishi, where unregulated mining activities have become hubs for young men from northern Nigeria, Niger, Mali, and other parts of West Africa.
“In some of these places,” he said, “you even see Chinese nationals. People from Mali, from Niger… from Kebbi, Nasarawa, Sokoto. Most of them come into these mining communities and blend in. It’s hard to tell they’re foreigners unless you’re familiar with their dialects.”
Olayanju explained that the geography of the region—bordering Kwara, Kogi, and Benin Republic—makes it easy for intruders to slip into Oyo’s interior through forest paths.
“You can come into Kishi from Niger State through Kanji, or from Kwara through Fallon. Some areas are so remote even motorcycles and vehicles pass through undisturbed,” he revealed.
He expressed concern that these mining sites operate like ungoverned spaces. “From what I saw, I got scared. The large number of young men, most of them northerners, gave me concern,” he added.
The retired colonel warned that the blending of ethnic and foreign groups in these sites creates confusion and makes it difficult to monitor who is entering the state and for what purpose.
“There’s a shared cultural affinity across these regions, and it’s hard to tell a Fulani from Niger apart from one from Sokoto. That’s a serious challenge.”
He noted that without proper regulation, Oyo State’s mineral-rich reserves are becoming a magnet for undocumented and possibly dangerous groups.
