Redesign Nigeria’s Security Architecture, Afenifere Tells FG

The Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation Afenifere has called on the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, redesign the security architecture to put an end to the spate of kidnapping and extra-judicial killings taking place in various parts of the country.

This was contained in a communique issued after the group’s caucus meeting held on Monday in Akure, the Ondo state capital, the country home of its leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti.

The Yoruba foremost group also called on the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to urgently develop strategies, in collaboration with State Governors, to confront and control security challenges.

In the communique signed by the group, national publicity secretary, Jare Ajayi, said the redesign of the security architecture would enable those in charge of the nation’s security to dig deeper into its causes and decisively address them.

In the communique, the group decried the “Resurgence of kidnapping, terrorism and banditry in Yorubaland: Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Lagos, Ekiti, Oyo and in other states like Kogi, Plateau, Benue, Anambra, Edo, Nassarawa, Niger, Kaduna, to mention a few.”

According to the group, “While the above is going on, states’ governors, particularly in Yorubaland, should further strengthen the security network in the region because of the upsurge of terrorism in our area.

“For instance, Amotekun personnel should be increased, motivated, trained and properly equipped.

Besides, modern technology such as drones, etc, to tackle insecurity should be deployed.”

While saying that the group was unrelenting in its insistence that State Police should take off immediately, Afenifere called on state governors to track unscrupulous herders terrorising our farmers, including owners of the cows with which they are making lives difficult for our people.

The communique read,” The meeting took notice, with serious concerns, of the security situation in the country. Concern was also expressed on the spate of kidnapping and extra-judicial killings taking place in various parts of the country.

“Given the prime position that security occupies in the life of any society, Afenifere again called on the federal government and security agencies to redesign the security architecture in such a way that those in charge of security would be able to dig deeper into its causes and deal with them decisively.

“In this way, we are calling on the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to urgently develop strategies to confront the challenges and put them under control in collaboration with state governors.

“Given the importance of food in any society, state governments in Yorubaland are called upon to pay more serious attention to agriculture. Policy papers on how Farm Settlements were established and run should be revisited and reviewed in line with the present reality for implementation purposes.

“Afenifere is very persistent in ensuring that the Yoruba language is used more as a communication medium. The body explicitly called on governments in Yoruba-speaking states to make Yoruba the medium of teaching at elementary levels of our education: kindergarten/nursery, primary and junior secondary schools. Afenifere also urged legislators in Yoruba-speaking states to make Yoruba the language they conduct their legislative businesses as much as possible.

“Given the centrality of Restructuring in resolving many challenges facing the country, Afenifere calls on President Bola Tinubu to leverage his known democratic credential as a federalist by quickening the country’s realisation of true federalism as soon as possible.

“The meeting expressed appreciation to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu for acting on some of the items presented to him when the leader, Chief R F Fasoranti, led a delegation to visit The Presidency in April last year.

“Among the projects mentioned was the Ore-Ondo-Akure road, which is now being dualised, and that of Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso, where reconstruction work is ongoing.

”Pa Fasoranti is particularly appreciative of this gesture and appealed to the federal government to extend actions to other areas needing attention – including Ibadan-Ife-Ilesha Road, as stated in the paper presented to the President.”