Afenifere raises the alarm over rising kidnapping cases in Oyo, Ogun, others 

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

The organisation’s feeling was contained in a statement released by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

According to the organisation, the fact that incidents of terror attacks, including kidnappings, are occurring virtually every day 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 said.

Ajayi 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 Afenifere 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 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, the national publicity secretary 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.

He said, “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; and Gift David Samiya, who was abducted on the Akwanga-Jos road while going to the camp.

Afenifere first made this call as far back as 2021 when some youth corps members were attacked by bandits. Recent happenings impel us to reiterate our earlier call in this respect. No Nigerian or anybody else deserves 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 made so that participants are mobilized to serve in their respective states or states of residence rather than being posted to states far 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 the failure of security forces to tackle them tends to vindicate Afenifere’s postulation that the battle against terrorism and banditry has not been won.

According to him, the battle has not been won 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 the attention of security agencies at any level and in any climate. 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 evade the radar surveillance of security agencies. For such groups to reach their targets and carry out their dastardly acts successfully suggests 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 in Nigerian airspace without authorisation from the relevant government agencies,” Afenifere added.