•Yoruba will resist attempt to turn region to Afghanistan, he vows
Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, has raised the alarm over the increasing spate of insecurity in the country, saying terrorists masquerading as bandits and wreaking untold havoc on innocent citizens were about spreading their act of terrorism to the South West region.
Adams made the disclosure on Tuesday in Agbara-Igbesa, Ogun State during the open-air National Coordinating Council (NCC) meeting of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), but quickly vowed that the Yoruba would resist any attempt to turn the South-West to Afghanistan, where the Taliban holds sway.
“A number of events have justified my position on the porous security situation in the country. It is never a new thing to say that terrorists have invaded the country, using the toga of bandits to traumatize us and wreak untold havoc on the entire country.
“Information at my disposal truly shows that they are present in the South-West making efforts to spread their act of terrorism to our region. But we must state it clearly that we will not allow them to turn the region into a charnel, and repository for dead bodies. We will resist any attempt to turn the South-West to Afghanistan, where the Taliban holds sway,” the Yoruba generalissimo vowed.
Iba Adams faulted the Federal Government’s approach, which he said unfortunate saw terrorists as mere bandits, maintaining that the security challenges across the country, including the South-West, mount daily at an alarming rate.
“We need not be told that the security situation in the country is appalling, apparently because those that need to tackle the problem didn’t do much in terms of approach and strategy,” he said.
“For instance, the case in the North-East, West and Central is even worse. Zamfara is now the epicentre of criminal activities. Katsina, the home of President Buhari is not spared. So, it is a serious issue,” he added.
The Yoruba generalissimo, however, applauded the role of the Western Nigerian Security Network (WNSN), codenamed: Operation Amotekun, and other security groups in reducing the rate of insecurity in the South-West, pointing out that the security architecture of the region had improved greatly with the emergence of the South-West Security Stakeholders Group. (SSSG).
“All over the world, issue of security remains a grassroots affairs, with effective synergy among the people who have the capacity to assist the police in ensuring that the environment is safe for people,” Adams said.
Credit: Nigeria Tribune