Olawepo-Hashim Decries Plateau, Benue, Ondo Killings

Former presidential candidate, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has condemned the renewed wave of violence in Plateau and Ondo States, describing the persistent killings as a tragic reflection of Nigeria’s failing security architecture.

In a strongly worded statement released on Wednesday, Olawepo-Hashim questioned the continued bloodshed across the country and called for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s approach to security.

“How many more innocent lives must be lost before real and lasting solutions are implemented? When will this bloodletting stop?” Hashim queried.

He accused the federal government of failing to exercise full control over the Nation’s security situation, while simultaneously resisting calls for the devolution of critical security responsibilities to State and Local Governments.

According to him, the centralised nature of Nigeria’s security structure has become overstretched and ineffective in responding swiftly to threats at the grassroots.

Olawepo-Hashim also identified poor cooperation with neighbouring countries as a major contributor to the current insecurity, citing the free inflow of arms and bandits across the country’s borders as a lingering threat.

“Bandits and terrorists now operate with calculated ease, simply relocating from areas of intensified Federal Military presence to regions with low or delayed security attention,” he said, noting a pattern of violence shifting from the North East, to the North West, and now to the North Central.

Describing the trend as an “adaptive insurgency,” Olawepo-Hashim stressed that the Nation must adopt a decentralised and intelligence driven security strategy that includes full collaboration with subnational governments and regional partners.

“The people deserve peace, and the time to act is now,” he concluded.

The former presidential candidate warned that what is happening in Nigeria is far more complex than isolated communal disputes. “What is going on in Nigeria are not isolated communal disputes but coordinated rural and semi-urban guerrilla warfare by a motley alliance of forces of terror and banditry that have chosen the entire Northern Nigeria as their theatre of operation,” he said.

Olawepo-Hashim also condoled the families of the victims who lost their lives. “Our heart goes to the families and communities who lost their loved ones and those who are wounded, we pray for strength for them and speedy recovery,” he said.

Meanwhile, Police sources revealed that ‎ preliminary investigations and operations in response to these attacks have led to the arrest of two suspects in connection with the killings in Bokkos, who are currently assisting with the ongoing investigation