The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has condemned the recent wave of terrorists’ incursions in south-western Nigeria, urging governments and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the region from banditry.
In a press release on Saturday, Afenifere National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, highlighted the Yoruba people’s alarm over the near-daily erosion of human life across several states.
They cited the barbaric manner in which kidnapped victims are treated and the merciless beating and humiliation of abductees.
Ajayi referenced multiple incidents, including attacks on churches, police stations, individual homes, and highways in Ondo State; the sacking of communities in Kwara; killings of farmers and attacks on travellers along the Igbeti-Kisi road in Oke-Ogun, Oyo State; and the gruesome kidnappings in Ekiti State, where victims were killed and their corpses held for ransom.
Ransom
“The greatest demonstration of the heartlessness of these evil-doers was their demands of N1.5 million, Indian hemp, cocaine, a synthetic drug known as ICE, and cartons of canned beer for the release of a corpse in their captivity.”
“The kidnappers even hilariously asked for virgins to be brought in exchange for four men that they had previously abducted,” Ajayi said.
He added: “Until recently, the home environment was considered a ‘safe haven’. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. A couple was attacked in front of their home in Akure, Ondo State, with the husband shot while trying to prevent his wife from being abducted.”
“Elder Igwe, father of a former Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, was abducted on his way to church on Sunday, 1 March. In Erinmope-Ekiti, a family of five was taken at 7 p.m., while people were at mosque for evening prayers.
“Bandits reportedly went from house to house in Kubwa, Abuja, this week, robbing and abducting residents.”
Ajayi further observed that similar protracted attacks have been reported in Kwara, Plateau, Benue, Borno, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Niger, Katsina, and Kaduna States, with returning refugees from Cameroon also falling victim in Bauchi State.
Recounting a case in Edo State, Ajayi described how kidnappers of a medical doctor and his brother killed the younger sibling but released the doctor after ransom payment.
“When the daughter of one kidnapper fell ill, the doctor, on duty at the hospital, recognised the perpetrators and alerted the police, leading to their arrest.
“The point here is that the bandit values the life of his daughter by seeking medical care for her, yet saw nothing wrong in killing other people,” he said.
Ajayi emphasised that terrorism and kidnapping are rampant but insisted the problem is not insurmountable, noting that: “Bandits are neither spirits nor invincible.”
He called for decisive action to cut off the bandits’ funding sources, which include unscrupulous wealthy individuals, local and international organisations, some state actors, communities paying protection money or ‘harvest fees’, ransom from captives, and outright theft.
Foreign actors
He also urged investigation into foreign actors involved in illegal mining who may be driving the sacking of communities.
“Confessions from apprehended and tried bandits revealed they had sponsors. Therefore, it is essential to pursue the sponsors and their intermediaries, block the sources of their funding and weapons, raid the bushes in which they hide, tackle corruption and sabotage within security forces, motivate personnel, and ensure the immediate establishment of state police,” Ajayi stated.
Afenifere commended President Bola Tinubu for his determination in advancing state police, citing his call on the National Assembly to expedite constitutional amendments for their immediate take-off.
The new Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, was also praised for inaugurating a committee to determine modalities for state police deployment.
The organisation reiterated its call for South West governors to implement measures to raid bandit hideouts, maintain constant surveillance of vulnerable areas, and cooperate fully with the Federal Government to ensure the prompt establishment of state police in their states.
