Resurgence of kidnapping: Afenifere, Yoruba elders raise the alarm
•Say renewed banditry in the area disturbing, disheartening
•Task South West govs to rejig security architecture in the region
•We want govt approval to enter forests, chase out the bandits—Hunters
Yoruba Social-Cultural Organisation, Afenifere, Yoruba Council Worldwide and other stakeholders in the southwest of the country have raised the alarm over the resurgence of kidnapping in the region describing it as disturbing and disheartening.
They raised the alarm following last Sunday’s attack on a commercial bus on the Ijebu Ode-Sagamu expressway and the abduction of 20 travellers by bandits.
Concerned elders and leaders in the region said the new trend was unacceptable and challenged their governors to rise to the challenge and rejig the security architecture in the area.
Resurgence of kidnapping disturbing, disheartening —Afenifere
The Publicity Secretary of the Pan Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifer, Jare Ajayi, said the resurgence of kidnapping in the South West and other parts of the country is very disturbing and disheartening saying what they thought had been a thing of the past has shown up again.
“We, in Afenifere, feel disturbed and it is disheartening to hear news of kidnapping again after a long time. We urge all tiers of government to buckle up and develop a modern security technology to nip it in the bud. Some of the things they can do include using modern security technology such as drones and CCTV to monitor events in the region.
They can also convene a town hall meeting which will involve all stakeholders because we feel there is an insider in it.” The organisation also stated that besides the Ijebu Ode-Sagamu road, there were pockets of kidnap attempts in Oke Ogun area especially in Igbeti and Iseyin. Referring other cases in the Northern zone, Ajayi called for a concerted effort to put a halt to the menace.
Development worrisome —Ogunsuyi
Also reacting to the resurgence of kidnappings in the Southwest, Former Commissioner of Information and Civic Orientation in Ekiti State, Mr Lanre Ogunsuyi, described the development as worrisome, deserving critical attention of government and the citizenry.
According to him, “the resurgence of kidnappings in the Southwest is quite worrisome, it was on the decline but now on the increase. One can say that this is happening now as a result of endemic poverty, and corruption everywhere with the proceeds of corruption being flaunted by the corrupt people, so the community is reacting. There is also the issue of our porous borders. What we can do to solve this is to improve our security and increase police personnel at all points. We can do community engagement, through community policing and open lines of communication, such that people can anonymously report any threat of kidnapping in their communities.
“We should also aim to provide jobs for the school leavers, because an idle mind is the devil’s workshop and the government on its part should address hunger and want, to discourage recruitment of innocent citizens into kidnap gangs”
This is a wake-up call for govt leaders— Hon Adewale
Former Social Democratic Party, SDP, state chairman in Ondo state, Hon Stephen Adewale, argued that the ongoing kidnapping on our major highways, combined with the Nigerian government’s inability to tame these beasts for years, was “a collective slap on our country”. According to him, “If you compare what is going on in Nigeria to other developing countries, you will notice that criminals cannot continue to commit crimes without restraint. It is quite bad that kidnappings continue to occur along our key highways. Now, the renewed kidnapping by unknown elements in the Ore-Sagamu highway is particularly bad and is inexcusable.
In normal circumstances, the Inspector General of Police, as well as the Commissioners of Police and the heads of sister security agencies in Ogun and Ondo States, would have been ousted and replaced by now due to what happened on the Sagamu highway. This is because the Ore-Sagamu expressway is considered one of the ‘most policed roads’ in the country. Travelling between Sagamu and Ore, one would encounter a minimum of 10 police checkpoints.
The question that begs an answer is, what are the police officers doing on that road except harassing innocent tourists and extorting unsuspecting drivers? This is a wake-up call for all of our government leaders and chiefs of security agencies. It is time they put an end to this aberration on this economically important highway before it becomes a regular occurrence”.
Intelligence services, police should be held accountable — Abagun Omololu
On his part, the National Organizing Secretary of Afenifere, Abagun Kole Omololu said, “The intelligence services and the police should be held accountable. It was a total negligence of duty on the part of law enforcement agencies. Criminals are always on the prowl like lions to attack, we have to be prepared for them. Policy changes are unhelpful.
Former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase introduced “Safer Highways”. citizens were reassured of safety on our motorways because of police patrols. But what we have now are roadblocks as centres for toll collection. I have also not noticed any Amotekun activities in Ogun unlike Ondo state axis”.
State govts need to arm their security outfits with weapons — Ayo Fadaka
Also, a public analyst, Hon Ayo Fadaka said, “This is just a timely reminder that the insecurity crisis remains unabated and it is still an issue that State Governments must continue to pay due attention to.
The criminals who perpetuated that crisis remain a constant feature in our society and will always perpetrate this crime whenever the need to so do arises. State Governments must continue to mount pressure for the right to properly arm their security outfits with automatic weapons as that is vital to the war against criminality.
Above all, the social question that is continuously responsible for the upsurge of banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and other sundry crimes remains unaddressed. Until such a time that is done, we remain in trouble.
The Coordinator, Dee Osun Monitors, Prince Jide Akinyooye, expressed disappointment over the new trend of kidnapping in the region, saying the situation has exposed the lapses with an Amotekun security outfit.
He said, “The new trend has shown that the present Governors in the region are paying lip service to Amotekun, established to provide adequate security in the region.
“Apart from Ondo State where the security outfit is doing a good job, the outfit has remained a toothless bulldog in other states in the southwest. It is unfortunate that in Oyo State Amotekun is losing its grip on the security situation and in Osun State, it seems politics have killed the vigour that the security outfit displayed at the on-set. I am appealing to all the Southwest governors not to forget their primary responsibility, which is to provide security for the lives and property of their people.
Their cooperation over agriculture and other investments would not yield positive fruit without a proper and efficient security system in place that guarantees the safety of the people. The governors should go back to the drawing board to rejig the security outfit and follow the example of Ondo state where Amotekun is performing excellently in the interest of the people.
Holistic approach to tackling root causes imperative— Yoruba Council Worldwide
The President, of Yoruba Council Worldwide, YCW, Oladotun Hassan, called for a holistic approach to tackling the root causes of these violent incidents.
Hassan said “We must address the root causes of these violent incidents if we are to have any hope of preventing them in the future. This means tackling poverty, inequality, and lack of economic opportunities, as well as improving access to education and health care.
It is not enough to simply apprehend and punish those who commit these crimes. We must also address the underlying factors that drive people to engage in violent behavior. This means investing in community development, providing support to vulnerable populations, and promoting peace and reconciliation.”
“This is a sobering reminder of the fragility of peace and stability. We must not allow ourselves to be complacent in the face of the threats that we face. We must work together, as a region and as a nation, to tackle the root causes of banditry and violence and to ensure that our people are safe and secure.
“We need to be proactive in our approach to security, not just reactive. Community-based security initiatives, such as neighborhood watch can be an effective tool in deterring and responding to criminal activity. They help to build trust and cooperation between communities and security agencies, and can provide a crucial source of information and intelligence.
We’re ready to enter forests and chase out the bandits—Hunters
Speaking on behalf of the hunters, the National President of Soludero Hunters’ Association, Oba Nureni Akintola Anabi, said, all they needed was the approval of the governors in the six states of the South West and that of the Inspector General of Police for them to go into the forest and smoke the bandits out of their hidden places.
“I will write a letter to the Inspector General of Police, all the governors in the zone to grant us approval to enter the forest.
If we get their nod, we will swing to action immediately. We need to get the police informed so that the operation can be successful. We won’t allow bandits to return to our zone. We, the hunters are ready to face them and chase them out.”
