Magnus Eze, Enugu, Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure, Fred Itua, Okwe Obi, Abuja, and Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekiti
Federal Government has disclosed plans to deploy soldiers in highways, especially flashpoints.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo made the revelation in Akure, Ondo State, when he paid a condolence visit to leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, over the killing of his daughter, Mrs. Funke Olakunrin by suspected Fulani herdsmen at Kajola village, along Ore-Benin Expressway, Odigbo Local Government Area, Ondo State on Friday.
Osinbajo, who was accompanied by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, described the killing of the 58-year-old lady as a massive tragedy.
He identified community policing as the only major way to end the menace of insecurity in the country.
“The president has very recently met not only the service chiefs but also the IGP and he has laid out a new policy of community policing. Another important thing is the intelligence gathering. That is why we have the community policing system where policemen would be trained in their own local government and they would remain there,” he noted.
He explained that the IGP is committed to ensuring security of lives of all Nigerians.
“We are looking at the whole security architecture and trying to ensure that we are able to scale up and ensure that we are able to protect the lives and properties of Nigerians,” he stated.
Osinbajo stressed that “security in a big country like Nigeria is dynamic and we also have to be consistently dynamic in ensuring that we are able to beat the challenges as they appear.
“I think that we can be very hopeful that we would see peace and calm, as some of the steps we are taking come to reality. You know also we meet with the governors in South West and in the different zones and everybody is coming to ensure that security is adequate and everyone feels safe and secure,” Osinbajo said.
Irked by the murder of daughter of Afenifere leader, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, said it was high time the South West region defended itself against bandits.
He made the declaration, yesterday, in Kota-Ekiti, Ekiti East Local Government area of Ekiti State, at the thanksgiving ceremony of Olufemi Bamisile who represents Ekiti South Federal Constituency 11 in the House of Representatives.
Oba Ogunwusi said Yoruba people could no longer fold its hand and allow people to be killed and urged the race to be united at this time and protect its territory.
His words: “I call on all the people of Yoruba race at this time to be united. The time has come end this killing. This killings must end, enough is enough”.
In his sermon, Reverend Emmanuel Abejide of Methodist Church of Nigeria, Ekiti State, declared that the current security situation in the country was unfortunate.
He warned that unless the leaders put their thinking cap things might get worse.
Senate disturbed
The Senate has expressed worry over the incessant attacks and wanton killings either by herdsmen, hired assassins, kidnappers and or other men of the underworld.
It said the criminals were having field days wreaking havoc on lives and property and declared that the trend must be halted.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Adedayo Adeyeye, the upper legislative chamber said: “How have we gone this bad? Security to lives, senate emphasises is a fundamental right of every citizen. Therefore, Nigerians deserve this inalienable right from the government all the time.
“While condemning this heinous and barbaric act, the Senate urges the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to begin massive manhunt for the killers of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin and ensure the perpetrators of this gruesome killing are apprehended.
“Also, measures to prevent future occurrence of such incidence should be put in place by improving the security architectures on the Nigerian highways, social gatherings and worship centres across the country.”
Ohanaeze demands national security confab
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has called on eminent Nigerians to bury their political, ethnic and religious differences, unite and immediately convoke a national security conference to discuss measures that will arrest the nation’s drift to lawlessness.
It said the continuous rampaging, plunder, rape, kidnapping and murder of innocent Nigerians by armed Fulani herdsmen has risen to a most worrisome crescendo.
President General of Ohanaeze, Chief Nnia Nwodo, in a statement yesterday, said the inability of the security forces to disarm and prosecute the criminals had given credibility to a growing story of collusion.
Ohanaeze warned that Fasoranti daughter’s murder was capable of igniting uncontrollable crisis in the country.
“The hasty conclusion by the Federal Government that she was killed by armed robbers and not the suspected herdsmen who are known to have laid siege to all parts of the country perpetrating acts of banditry and killings further exacerbates the already tensed situation,” he said.
…Yorubaland under siege
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised the alarm that the South West region is under siege.
National Vice Chairman (South West) of the party, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, in a statement by the party’s zonal secretary, Mr. Ayo Fadaka, said the continuing carnage and wanton destruction of lives in the South West by criminals of Fulani extraction, now commonly referred to as Fulani herdsmen, called for serious concern by stakeholders in Yorubaland.
“It is time something urgent and cogent is done on this malaise forthwith. We cannot continue to fold our arms and watch.
“We take due notice of the murder of Mrs Funke Olakunrin, daughter of Yoruba leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti and thus declare that the insult on the Yoruba nation is getting exacerbated. This murder possess a potential devastating effect on the nation as it has further reinforced the fear and distrust of the Yorubas for the immediate future of our nation and its security management which has clearly declined and deteriorated massively under the current dispensation.
“We also want to reiterate that the Yoruba nation is currently under siege as criminal elements from elsewhere have invaded our land, killing, raping and unduly oppressing us without agencies of state constitutionally saddled with responsibilities to protect us doing enough to manage this crisis in the South West.
“The murder of Mrs. Olakunrin is the first high profile committed by these criminals. We hereby affirm that thousands of such murders have been committed by these same criminal Fulani herdsmen across the South West with no attendant repercussions on these criminal bands by agencies of government.
“The Yoruba people are enraged about these developments and believe that there exist plans to pursue ethnic cleansing in our nation.”
SDP, ADP want perpetrators arrested
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Action Democratic Party (ADP) have called on security agencies to fish out killers of Mrs. Olakunrin.
It warned that any attempt to sweep the case under the carpet will continue to empower bandits to wreak havoc.
SDP National Chairman, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, in a statement, described the incident as “repugnant and unacceptable to the people of Nigeria,” and urged “the Federal Government to intensify action to ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are brought to justice without delay.”
Likewise, ADP National Chairman, Yabaji Sani, reiterated the urgent need for President Buhari and the security agencies to deploy more resources in combating the menace of herdsmen and other bandits tormenting Nigerians, charged Nigerians to be more vigilant in all communities.
“Mr. President should confront the issue of insecurity because we have all that it takes to do that. We don’t want a situation that we cannot control which will snowball into something that all of us will have reason to regret.
“I don’t believe it is the duty of service chiefs, like Mr. President said, that they should justify the exorbitant amount spent on them. Rather, Mr. President should justify the confidence and mandate given to him by Nigerians.
“He should rise to the occasion and tackle the issue of insecurity because it is becoming a tool for people with ulterior motives to cause problems.”