The pan- Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere on Saturday decried the escalating insecurity in the country and renewed its call for state police as solution to the problem.
In a statement issued by its spokesman, Jare Ajayi, the Afenifere asked President Bola Tinubu to invoke an Executive Order to create state and local government police.
The call, according to the group, followed increased reports of banditry and kidnapping in Ogun, Edo, Ekiti, Oyo, Kogi, Zamfara, and Niger States.
It also asked the Federal Government to investigate the motivation behind kidnapping and banditry and come up with solutions.
The statement read: “There are indications that President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is desirous of putting an end to this deleterious menace. Towards the end of January this year, he approved the procurement of digital tracking tools to enhance the apprehension of bandits, terrorists, and armed robbers.
“On Monday, April 22, this year, he used the occasion of addressing participants at the African Counter-Terrorism Summit which opened on that day in Abuja to assure everyone of his government’s readiness to ensure greater security. Unfortunately, recent happenings have not shown that the President’s desire in this respect is being worked upon.
“Afenifere urged President Tinubu to get state and local government police off the ground immediately through the invocation of an Executive Order while the process of amending the Constitution continues. Close circuit television sets, deployment of modern technology for security purposes including drones must be effected immediately.
“The starting point is to probe into the motivation for kidnapping and related banditry. Three identified motives are economic, ideology and politics. Each of these has sub-strata and sometimes interlopes.
“For instance, the economic factor of banditry could have territorial claim as an underpinning. It can also be as a result of some interests wanting to assert political superiority. These are relatively easier to deal with if the authorities and the people in the given area are committed to dealing with it.”
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