Afenifere Decries Terrorists’ Attacks Across Nigeria… Says Youth Corpers Should Serve In Their States

…. …Bushes in South West to be more policed and armed convoys of motorbikes be challenged

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has again expressed displeasure on the rising cases of kidnapping and terror attacks in Yorubaland and other parts of the country.

The organisation’s feeling was contained in a press statement issued by its national publicity secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi.

According to Ajayi, the fact that incidents of terror attacks including kidnappings are occurring virtually everyday in various parts of the country is giving Afenifere a lot of concern.

“Before now, reports of incidents of this nature used to be from other climes. But these days, the horrendous incidents are also occurring in Yorubaland of Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara and parts of Kogi. We are deeply concerned about this just as we are uncomfortable with the sacking of communities, kidnapping, killing, livestock rustling, arson and maiming of people in some other parts of the country particularly in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Nassarawa, Katsina, Borno, Bauchi, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory; to mention a few.”

He submitted that Afenifere has, for years, been drawing attention to the then incipient banditry before it escalated into pure terrorism, sacking of communities and direct attacks on military bases and police stations.

He added that the body is highly disturbed by the news of the kidnapping of a trader at Jinarere in Ibadan, the abduction of two staffers of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) on Ibadan-Ijebu-ode Road, attacks on families in Ondo and Ekiti, killing of farmers in Tede, Ago-Are, killing of military police men in Tenibo/Kenanji in Kwara State, desertion of palaces by some traditional rulers in Kwara state as a result of bandits’ incessant attacks, raids of an orphanage, churches, mosques, markets and households in various states.

In view of abductions of youth corpers and graduates on the way to NYSC Orientation Camps, Ajayi called on the federal government through the National Youth Service Corps to let youth corpers undergo the one year programme in their respective states rather than to be posted outside of their immediate enclaves.

Among the victims cited were Sodiq Ogunlana, a LASU graduate who was shot and abducted on his way to Orientation Camp in Ede, Osun State, Lateefah, a graduate of Kwara Polytechnic who was abducted on her way to the NYSC camp in Taraba State as well as Gift David Samiya who was abducted on Akwanga-Jos road while going to the camp.

“Afenifere first made this call as far back as 2021 when some youth corpers were attacked by bandits. Recent happenings impel us to reiterate our earlier call in this respect. No Nigerian or anybody else deserve to be kidnapped or killed extra-judicially. Youth corpers deserve special treatment because of their peculiar nature. For this reason, if the scheme could not be suspended, a modification should be brought to it in such a way that participants would be mobilized to serve in their respective states or states of residence rather than having to be posted to states far away from the areas they are familiar with. “

On the mechanism to tackle banditry and terrorism generally, Afenifere spokesman maintained that non-kinetic methods should be hyped more than is presently being done.

Noting that most attacks on communities are carried out by bandits using motor bikes, Ajayi submitted that failure of security forces to tackle them tends to vindicate Afenifere’s postulation that the battle against terrorism and bandtry has not been won so far because of the complicity of some unscrupulous people within the security service, powerful people in the community and in government circles.

“A convoy of armed youths on motorbikes ought to attract attention of security agencies at any level and in any clime. Reports have it that those who attacked communities in Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Borno, Plateau and Benue states usually rode on motorbikes. They cover their faces and carry arms. It is difficult to believe that such convoys would escape the surveillance radar of security agencies. For such groups to be able to get to their targets and carry out their dastardly acts successfully tends to suggest that there is complicity at the highest level including among some powerful people in the communities …”

Those carrying out mining, especially illegal mining, are other elements Afenifere wants the government to beam a searchlight on. Indications are that illegal miners tend to move into some communities shortly after the residents were attacked, sent packing and/or forced into captivity.

Several unconfirmed reports alleged that jets have been seen supplying arms and food items to bandits in the jungles. As is known, jets can not fly on Nigerian airspace without the authorization from the relevant government agencies.

To successfully tackle the menace of banditry, Afenifere suggested the following steps:

– Governors in the south west should recruit more personnel into Amotekun, motivate them and equip them properly

. Greater surveillance to be effected on bushes in the South West.- Available intelligence be put into more productive use

. State police be made to take off promptly

.Searchlight be beamed on illegal miners and those behind the mining sites

. Government and security agencies should apprehend and try those who had been mentioned as masterminds of banditry in the country without regard to their status or position in the society

.Convoys of armed cyclists be challenged

. A stop should be put to granting amnesty to the so-called repentant bandits

. Youth corpers be allowed to serve in their states of origin or where they reside.