Vice President Yemi Osinbajo admitted yesterday that there are “significant” security concerns all over the country but assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to ending insecurity.
According to him, they have begun consultations with critical stakeholders to arrive at how to stem the tide of insecurity pervading Nigeria. The consultations, he said, were being done on the instruction of Buhari, and they have met with some traditional rulers eager to contribute to the improvement of the nation’s security architecture.
There are significant security concerns all over the country and on the instruction of President Muhammadu Buhari, ‘’The president and I believe that consultations with traditional rulers are important in beefing up security across Nigeria. “President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to improving security in Nigeria. Our nation will be peaceful and prosperous,’’ Osinbajo stated yesterday on his twitter handle, @ProfOsinbajo.
Also, national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, urged Nigerians to forget about their political affiliations and support government’s efforts to fight the criminality ravaging the country. A former Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and a human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, also called on Buhari to rethink his internal security strategy by considering some of the suggestions from conferences and panels set up by government in the last few years to tackle the worsening insecurity in the country.
The vice president said in his tweets that in line with the ongoing consultations, he had met with the Akarigbo of Remo Land, Oba Babatunde Ajayi; and the Awujale of Ijebu Land, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, in company with Ogun State Governor, Mr. Dapo Abiodun and other federal and state government officials. Alaafin Warns of Looming Anarchy over Siege to Yorubaland Also yesterday, Oba Adeyemi, in a letter to Buhari, warned him of looming anarchy in the country if the siege to Yorubaland by herdsmen and kidnappers are not contained.
The monarch who catalogued recent cases of insecurity in Yorubaland, accused the president of not bringing the culprits to book. He said the Yoruba were capable of resorting to self-help unless the security in the zone improved and people were guaranteed safety of their lives and property. Oba Adeyemi in the letter titled, “Yoruba Question in Nigeria Conundrum”, said: “In recent time however, I am worried about the security situation in the country, especially in the South-west geo-political zone, nay the entire Yoruba speaking area of the country including Kwara, Kogi and Edo States. ”
This has to do with the incessant and increasing menace of Fulani herdsmen that have laid siege to almost all the highways of Yoruba land. Whether in Owo, Akure, Ilesa/Ife-Ibadan road or Ibarapa zone and Ijebu area of Ogun State, the story is the same.
“I have held series of consultations with opinion moulders and eminent Yoruba leaders across board about the menace of these cattle herdsmen with such assault like raping of our women and in some occasions, in the presence of their husbands.
That is apart from massive destruction of our agricultural lands; which ultimately points to imminent starvation. “On top of it all is the menace of professional kidnappers usually in military uniforms. What is more worrisome about the kidnapping notoriety is what looks like impunity which these kidnappers enjoy their nefarious activities
He said after due consultations with Yoruba leaders and as the pre-colonial head of the Yoruba nation, people were worried by the audacity of the criminals in attacking people without restraint.
“Worse still is the confidence with which they demand ransoms and collect such illegal levies at designated spots without any arm of security being able to lay siege on them as it was the practice in the recent past.
“Now, we cannot even talk of parading suspects, when in actual sense, no major arrests have been made in this part of the country. Without arrests, we cannot talk of their facing the law. Unfortunately, and painfully indeed, in the face of the apparent helplessness of our security agencies, where do we go from here? “It is at the wake of this manifest frustration of our people that our people have found it unavoidable, even though reluctantly to resort to alternative measures to safeguard their lives and property.
Suffice to say that is most part of Yoruba land, their pre-colonial military structures have not been totally collapsed. Hence, such structures like Odua People’s Congress, Agbekoya and other vigilante groups. “Having stated the above, and having established my premise as a stakeholder in your administration in the firm belief that we all believe in the Nigeria project, kindly permit me, Mr. President, to make the following points and submissions as the Alaafin of Oyo, the king and head of all Yoruba at home and in the diaspora and the chief custodian of Yoruba culture and values.”
According to him, the people of the South-West geo-political zone and extending to some parts of Kogi, Kwara and Edo State live in palpable fear because of new wave of insecurity of life and property they now witness daily. “This new uncomplimentary development is not unrelated to the new wave of criminal activities usually associated with banditry, armed robbery and lately, kidnapping and rape of genuinely innocent and law abiding citizens. “I remember when these nefarious activities were first noticed in Oyo/Oke Ogun area of Oyo State, I took proactive steps to stem the tide and to amicably normalise relations between farmers and herders. Our initiative succeeded because we were dealing with genuine farmers and herders who had a commitment to Nigeria and who were interested in promoting their economic activities in a peaceful, prosperous and united Nigeria
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