The Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Thursday tasked the South-west state governments to take the security of their area more seriously in view of the latest revelation over the alleged influx of bandits into the region.
Afenifere gave the task in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, on the recent alarm raised by Gov Seyi Makinde of Oyo state that bandits being dislodged in the northern part of Nigeria are camping in parts of Oyo state.
The Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and socio-political organisation said statement of this nature coming from the Chief Security Officer of a state is not something to be treated with levity.
“All the governors of the South western states should as a matter of urgency, hold a meeting to map out strategies to expel the bandits from the region and to ensure that such elements do not infiltrate Yorubaland at any time again,” it said.
Afenifere added, “For these objectives to be achieved, there is the need to carry certain groups along. These are the security agencies that will implement whatever security decisions reached, traditional rulers and heads of local vigilantes known as ‘Ode.
“Whatever strategies that were devised should include functional up-to-date equipment for those who would be on the fields, attractive incentives and the deployment of modern technologies to assist in identifying the bandits and their hideouts.”
While urging security agencies and citizens not to take the issue of security lightly, Afenifere said traditional rulers and community leaders in different parts of Yorubaland should not keep quiet whenever they notice any indication suggestive of security threat.
