By Desire Emmanuel
The pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organisation, Afenifere, has stated that the ongoing terror acts in states that share borders with the South-West are heightening fears over bandits’ incursion into Yorubaland.
It therefore urged the governors in the South-West states to buckle up, especially concerning the recent kidnapping cases recorded in Oyo and Ondo states.
Afenifere, in a release issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, on Saturday, February 14, stated that the repeated terrorists’ attacks in Kwara, Kogi and Niger states as well as recent kidnap incidents in Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo states leave much to be desired.
It will be recalled that armed bandits invaded Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State penultimate week and killed nearly 200 persons.
On Thursday, bandits operated in Edo and Oyo states where they abducted persons including a junior secondary school girl at Challenge area of Ibadan, capital of Oyo State.
According to Afenifere, “this is a very disturbing development as cases of abduction seem to be on the increase in Yorubaland.
“Incidents that occurred in places like Ondo, Ibadan, Kaduna, among others, took place in the metropolis. This means that terror acts are no longer confined to rustic settings where government presence is thin, if at all.
In the light of the foregoing, Afenifere spokesman called on governors of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos as well as those of Kwara, Kogi, Edo and Delta states to urgently come up with security arrangements that would enable their people to sleep with their eyes closed.
“It is however not debatable that banditry and terrorism are continuing not because there is no information on or about bandits and terrorists. Terrorism is becoming pervasive because even the information available is not being processed and used in the interest of the people,” the group said.
“It is high time governors in Yorubaland went beyond sermonization and swung into decisive actions that will really make the region a very secure place,” Afenifere added.
