By Ademola Adekusibe
3rd December 2025
The Apapo O’odua Koya (AOKOYA), a Yoruba self-determination group, has released a detailed travel advisory for people of Oodua descent travelling within Nigeria during the festive period and beyond. The guidance, compiled by the group’s Intelligence Unit, warns of heightened security risks across several parts of the country.
In the advisory, AOKOYA strongly cautioned Yoruba travellers against visiting the North East and North West, describing both zones as unsafe. It further advised that even the North Central region, including Kaduna, should be avoided unless travel is absolutely unavoidable. The group recommended air travel as the safest option for anyone who must visit the core northern states.
AOKOYA also warned of the activities of armed kidnappers within parts of the South-West, urging vigilance on major highways. The advisory claimed that non-indigenous criminal groups often carry out attacks during evening and night hours, particularly on weekends, and that travellers should avoid moving with their families, as family units are considered vulnerable targets.
The group further advised travellers to dress for mobility, keep a dummy phone accessible while securing their real phone, delete bank details, and ensure vehicles are fuelled before departure. It also encouraged the use of personal security tools for self-defence, while cautioning that such tools should only be used in rare escape opportunities.
AOKOYA listed several roads in Yoruba-speaking states that it described as troubled routes, including Ogere, Gbongan Junction, Shaki–Igboho axis, Ikere–Ado road, Ife–Ibadan highway, Oyo–Ogbomoso highway, Ikole–Omuo–Lokoja road, Ilorin–Egbe highway, Jebba–Bode Saadu route, Ilesa–Ita Ore, and Ogotun–Arakeji–Ado road.
Travellers were further advised to maintain close proximity to heavy-duty vehicles on highways when possible, listen to local radio updates rather than music, maintain caution around herds of cattle, and remain alert at all times. The advisory also encouraged spiritual preparedness.
The statement was released by the Public Enlightenment Bureau of AOKOYA, with a call for wide circulation.
