August 08, (THEWILL) – The Pan Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has expressed serious concerns over the worsening insecurity in the country.
The group, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, wondered if President Muhammadu Buhari was aware of the security situation in the country.
The statement titled, ‘Insecurity in the South-West, Other Parts of Nigeria: Where is the Commander-in-Chief?, lamented the rate at which insecurity has festered, as though nobody could rein in the monster.
Afenifere said there was no evidence that the C-in-C was aware of the seriousness of the situation, adding that the President’s business is not to ‘grieve’ for victims of terrorism but to ensure that terrorism, kidnapping and allied crimes do not occur at all in the country.
The group noted that because of the kid-glove manner with which the Federal Government was dealing with terrorists and kidnappers, they had become so emboldened that they now attack security institutions at will and malevolently go into the homes of their victims to deal with them under the watch of government and security agencies.
It reiterated the much-vaunted position on the need to allow State Police and to properly take care of security agencies generally.
While calling on Buhari to demonstrate that he is still there as the Commander in Chief, Afenifere suggested that the President could delegate all the necessary authority to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, with whom he shared a joint ticket anyway.
The statement recalled that within two weeks, about three people were kidnapped in Ogbomoso in Oyo State, leading to the death of some victims, beheading of five people in the South-East, abductions in Katsina, Kaduna, Nassarawa and Niger States, killing and abduction of about 15 people, including Indian expatriates, in Kogi State and abductions of some chiefs in the Akoko area of Ondo State, all within a few days. These are in addition to several of such dastardly acts that have been happening in different parts of the country with increasing ferocity.
The statement reads in part, “The report from Ondo State where the Amotekun corps intercepted two trucks carrying 151 young men and women. Ordinarily, there is nothing wrong in people moving from one part of the country to the other. But if those people were not on a satanic mission, why would they hid under bags of rice and beans?
“Why would they not be able to state their mission and actual destinations? They claim to have been taken from Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States to come to the South-West for a mission or missions that they were not told. Afenifere commends the efforts of the Ondo State Government and Amotekun operatives for the gallant work they are doing.
“Reports have it that bandits on the night of Sunday, August 7, attacked and killed three persons, while scores of others were reportedly abducted by the attackers in Bali town, headquarters of Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State.
“The bandits began to raid people from house to house after overpowering the security personnel at a checkpoint. Just last Friday, four police officers were killed when gunmen attacked Agwa Divisional Police Headquarters in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria’s South-east.
“Specifically, Afenifere faults the idea of re-integrating confirmed terrorists and bandits “as evidence had shown that such seemingly reintegrated bandits go ahead to commit crimes that are more heinous than the ones they were known for beforehand.”
