A former member of the National Assembly representing Oyo Central Senatorial District and an All Progressives Congress chieftain in Oyo State, Ayoade Adeseun, has appealed to the Federal Government to establish a military base in Ogbomoso, citing rising insecurity and the strategic importance of the area.
Adeseun made the call on Sunday during an interview with The PUNCH at Onipanu, Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State.
He described the absence of a military formation in Ogbomoso as a major security gap that should have been addressed long ago.
The PUNCH reports that gunmen suspected to be bandits, on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, invaded the Old Oyo National Park in Oloka, Oriire Local Government Area, killing five National Park Service officers at about 11:30 p.m.
Four farmers were also reportedly killed in Igboho, Oorelope Local Government Area of Oyo State, while the abduction of a nursing mother and her child in Supare/Ajegunle, Akoko South Local Government Area of Ondo State, has heightened fear in some South-West communities.
Adeseun said Ogbomoso and its environs had produced several distinguished military officers over the years, noting that such a legacy should ordinarily attract the siting of a military establishment.
“It is a very serious issue, one that ought to have happened. We have many of our sons in the military, the Air Force, the Navy and the Army in particular.
“We remember Brig Gen Benjamin Adekunle of blessed memory. We remember Col Adeniyan, who passed on not long ago. We remember Ibrahim Taiwo,” he said.
He added that the town continued to have strong representation within the Armed Forces, making the absence of a military base more worrisome.
“Even now, we have an array of our boys at various levels in the Armed Forces. For us not to have a military establishment of some sort, even if we don’t have a full battalion, is worrisome,” he said.
According to him, relying on troops from Ibadan or from the battalion in Saki, Oke-Ogun, could lead to dangerous delays during emergencies.
“Ibadan is not too far from us, but if something happens along this axis, Oke-Ogun has a battalion in Saki. Between Saki and here is about a three-hour drive. If something happens here, before anybody comes from Saki or Ibadan, all hell would have broken loose,” he warned.
He, therefore, called for the immediate establishment of at least a military outpost with combat capacity.
“So it is important that we have some kind of military outpost. Even if it is not a full base, we need a combat presence here,” he said.
He noted that the nearest military formation was an educational command in Ilorin, Kwara State, which did not have combat responsibilities.
“There is an educational command around in Ilorin, but they are educational, not combatant. We need a combat formation,” he said.
Raising additional concerns, Adeseun pointed to the town’s proximity to international borders and the risks associated with irregular migration.
“We are very close to the border. People migrate across, and there is no telling where they will show up tomorrow. So we need to be prepared,” he said.
He referenced recent killings in Ikoyi-Ile, Oloka village, as evidence of the need for proactive security measures rather than reactive deployments.
“They killed many people at Ikoyi-Ile in Oloka village. Many lives were lost. They are now sending troops there, but that is after the fact,” he said.
Adeseun appealed to the Federal Government to urgently deploy a military unit to the area, adding that land is available to accommodate such a facility.
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