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By Oluseye Ojo
Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, has identified sabotage, complicity, and corruption as the primary reasons behind the rising tide of banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism in Nigeria.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jare Ajayi, on Sunday, Afenifere lamented that efforts to address the issues have been hindered by powerful individuals, who are complicit in the nefarious activities.
“Be it on electricity, water, energy, education, agriculture, economy, and now insecurity, the reason for the seeming failure of strategies of governments in these sectors are the corruptive tendencies of some cabals in high places, who sabotage efforts meant to sanitise the system and enhance the well-being of the people,” Ajayi said.
The organisation expressed concern over the spread of insecurity to previously safe areas, including Yorubaland, citing incidents in Kogi, Kwara, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo States, as well as Oke-ogun and Ibarapa areas of Oyo State.
“At the best of times, an individual has to struggle to make ends meet. Now, the first consideration is safety before one thinks of what to do to keep life going for oneself and one’s dependents,” Ajayi said.
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Afenifere called for concrete steps to address the problem, including re-orientation of people in affected areas, debriefing and de-radicalization of youth, restructuring the security architecture, and monitoring ‘ungoverned spaces’.
“We keep calling the attention of those concerned to the challenges with a view to finding workable and enduring solutions to the problem,” Ajayi said.
Afenifere also suggested the establishment of state police, pending constitutional amendments, to address the insecurity issue.
“For these noble affirmations by the NSA to be realised, there is an urgent need to enhance intelligence gathering, utilise intelligence efficiently, sanitize the rank and file of security agencies to oust saboteurs and weaken the cabals,” Ajayi added.
The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, had earlier disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had authorised expanded security deployments and improved intelligence coordination to address attacks on religious communities.
Ajayi stated that Afenifere’s call for action, came as Nigerians grapple with the escalating insecurity in the country, with many calling for more effective measures to address the issue.
