Nigerian authorities have warned this Saturday the main Muslim and Christian leaders of Osun state, in the southwest of the country, about a supposed terrorist plan against places of worship aimed at destabilizing the area and putting at risk the celebration of the general elections scheduled for 2027, according to various local media.
According to information disseminated by the Nigerian newspaper "Punch", the State Security Service (DSS) held separate meetings last Wednesday with representatives of the Muslim and Christian communities in the city of Osogbo. In both meetings, religious leaders were urged to immediately implement preventive measures in light of the possibility of imminent attacks.
The official warning is based on an intelligence report indicating that several terrorist groups would be preparing actions to extend insecurity in the south of the country —with special attention to the southwest— thus creating a climate of tension in the months leading up to the presidential elections.
"The meeting is true; it was held on Wednesday in Osogbo. We must be careful and remain vigilant. These people have been trying to infiltrate Osun for quite some time," confirmed the president of the Muslim community in the state, Alhaji Mustapha Olawuyi, in statements reported by the Nigerian newspaper.
The Muslim leader has praised the work of the intelligence services and has made public the content of an audio message he sent to all the imams in the area: "The officials said they had intelligence information that the terrorists would be moving towards the south of the country and the southwest, especially to cause chaos and thus prevent the holding of elections or generate apathy among voters."
For his part, the representative of the Christian community in Osun, Pastor John Adeleke, has corroborated the holding of the meeting and explained that the authorities asked religious leaders to convey to the churches and the heads of educational institutions the importance of reinforcing surveillance measures.
In statements to "Punch", the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the region specified that the DSS specifically recommended to Christian leaders to prevent unknown vehicles from parking near the temples and also suggested canceling scheduled religious activities during nighttime.
Likewise, the CAN has pointed out that the intelligence service requested to verify the identity of any visitor before allowing their entry to the facilities, an instruction that they proposed to extend to those responsible for school centers and to those in charge of venues where a large number of people gather.
"After informing us that churches must be careful and that we must encourage our congregations to also be alert, we sent the message to all our blocks and different platforms where our people can be informed," concluded the Christian leader.
The southwest region of Nigeria does not have its own deeply rooted Islamist terrorist group with a permanent presence, like Boko Haram or its offshoot, Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA).
Traditionally, it has been the most stable area of the country in terms of jihadist insurgencies, although currently it faces a changing security scenario, marked by the overlap of criminal networks, militant activity in peripheral areas, and a growing concern about possible external interference.