BY JAMES AKINOLA
The Pan Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, yesterday, condemned the rising spate of terrorist attacks in various parts of the country.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, Afenifere noted that the spate of attacks calls for a rejigging of the security architecture of the country, and the need to allow the state governments to establish and arm their own security outfits.
The organisation said the continued refusal of the Federal Government to allow state police “is not only against the federal spirit of the country’s constitution, but detrimental to the overall peace of the country.”
He said, “It is on record that calls have gone to the Federal Government to allow states, that so desired, to set up state and community police, with all the necessary paraphernalia, to enable them maintain security in their respective domains. Southern Governors’ Forum, earlier in the year, also backed the call for state police, but the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has ignored the calls.
“President Muhammadu Buhari needs to do more if his regular assertion of overcoming insecurity challenges is to be realisable. Some of the steps to be taken to realise this are to immediately allow states to set up their own police forces; decentralise security apparatus; equip and motivate security agencies; stop treating bandits and terrorists with kid gloves, and finally allow true federalism, so that states and local governments can devise appropriate measures to deal with the challenges facing them in all areas of human endeavour.”
On October 8, gunmen numbering about 10, invaded Ipapo Oke Ogun, Oyo State, and abducted 14 people. On the same day, police spokesperson of the Osun State Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, disclosed that the police discovered the body of one Chief Oladepo Asaolu, Babaloja, abducted from his farm in the Ora-Igbomina area of Oke-Ila local government area of the state, was discovered in a bush close to the town on October 5. Also, on October 9, gunmen attacked the Arum Inyi Police Division in Oji-River Local Government Area of Enugu State, killed at least two people, and set the station ablaze. The list is not exhaustive.
Ajayi noted that the state governments could have averted these attacks if they had their own security outfits.
“Were Amotekun allowed to carry sophisticated weapons, they would have averted the attacks on our communities. It was difficult for our men to confront the attackers frontally because these assailants carried heavy arms with rounds of bullets around their bodies. It is likely that they even wore bullet-proof jackets whereas the highest weapons in the hands of our officers were dane guns. Our governors and our leaders in Yoruba land are aware of the possible attacks, but we are helpless in a way because of the handicap placed on our path by the Federal Government through its refusal to allow our state governments to put up requisite security structures,” he said.
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