Yoruba elders express concern over insecurity in South-West

By Oluseye Ojo

The Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) has stressed the need for proactive measures to nip in the bud the influx of bandits and other criminals in the South West.

The Secretary-General of YCE, Chief Oladipo Oyewole, told Saturday Sun that the infiltration of bandits into the forests of Osun and Oyo states, as openly declared by the governments of the two states called for urgent and lasting attention.

His words: “It is of great concern to all. For anyone, who knows the geography of those areas (which he described as an area where colonial masters used to go hunting in the time past), it is porous and assailable. Those descriptions alone must be seen as a source of worry for Yorubaland.”

Oyewole noted that for Oyo and Osun states “to have come into the open to speak about the fear means there is a lot to issues of internal security.

“Also current reports by the military, of their efforts in the North West, made clear what happened there and of how bandits were rooted out and dislodged

“Geographically, North West Nigeria is at the top of these two states – Oyo and Osun, and maybe a small portion of Lagos in the Badagry axis.

“However, it is obvious that if the military dislodged them and they came down to the South West, we must not ignore them, as they cannot mean well. This is particularly so because they got dislodged from a training camp, where they were to learn to manufacture bombs as duly reported.”

Oyewole stated that the governments of Osun, Oyo, and Lagos “cannot and must not relax. Law enforcement agencies too must prepare.”