Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams, has charged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Muhammed Adamu, on the need to be proactive in tackling the various security issues in the country.
Speaking during a meeting with the representatives of the IGP in his house in Lagos, Adams restated his belief in boosting local security, saying the best measure is to get people at the grassroots involved in local security.
He told the top police hierarchy that as the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, “there are pressures on me to act on the issues.”
Adams admitted that the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) “is ready to partner with the police in solving the security challenges in the country,” adding that “our group has a history of winning war against kidnapping, banditry and other social vices.”
“I commend the Inspector General of Police on this move. The visit, as far as I am concerned, is a welcome development and it goes a long way in solving the menace.
“The security situation in the country is becoming too worrisome with cases of Killings, kidnapping, raping and banditry prevalent across South-West states, and there is an urgent need to curb the menace.”
Responding, Chief of Staff to the Inspector-General of Police who led the team, Mr. Jude Nwankor, said the reason for the visit “is to seek your support in solving the security challenges in the country.”
He said the police will be willing to partner with the Aare, giving his deep knowledge and experiences at the grassroots.
“We are happy to relate with you as a prominent voice in Yorubaland. We know there is no way we can secure the grassroots without local intelligence. The IGP has indicated interest in seeking your assistance and support and that is why we are here to tell you that the police, as an institution, is ready to partner with you,” he said.
Reflecting on the visit, former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Akin Osuntokun, described the emissary as a long-awaited realistic disposition towards apprehending and containing the security crisis bedevelling the country.
“The synergy will go a long way in stemming the trend of rural Fulani banditry and associated crimes in the South-West.”
Also,
Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo, charged the police authority to engage indigenous
police personnel in information gathering. He said the people that understand
the local terrain in information gathering are in the best position to gather
information, saying the role of OPC in security intelligence and gathering
cannot be over emphasized.
Adams later presented a letter to the IGP, indicating his support and
proffering solutions to insecurity across the country.
Meanwhile, the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBN) held a meeting in Osogbo on Tuesday to fashion out ways of ensuring peaceful coexistence and improved security in Osun State.
The meeting was apparently necessitated by the worsening security situation in Osun, where herdsmen have been on the rampage in recent times, abducting and killing people on highways in the South-West state.
Speaking at the meeting, Alhaji Leke Akintayo, the leader of the OPC in Osun State, said the group was worried over the spate of abductions and other criminal activities in the state, blamed on herdsmen.
READ ALSO: Killings: Vacate Yorubaland Now or Face Consequences, Gani Adams To Fulani Herdsmen
Akintayo said OPC was ready to collaborate with security agencies to tackle the security challenges plaguing Osun in recent times.
“We are law-abiding group. We are working in collaboration with the police, DSS, Civil Defence and other paramilitary groups to make sure we curb the menace of insecurity in our state.
He, subsequently, issued a seven-day ultimatum to leaders of MACBAN to fish out bad eggs among them in the interest of peace in the state.
“We called for this peace meeting to find lasting solutions to the issue of security breakdown such as kidnapping, armed robbery and all sort of criminal activities in the state.
Akintayo, who noted that the goal of the OPC since it was founded in 1998 was to protect lives and property, warned herdsmen perpetrating crimes to vacate the state or be ready to face the wrath of the law.
“Over the years, Osun State has been adjudged the most peaceful state in Nigeria until recently when criminals invaded our land and started kidnapping our people.
“We will use everything within our reach to ensure that the bad eggs among the Fulanis are flushed out of the state.
“We want to sound a note of warning to these criminals to desist from
terrorising our people.
“There is need for the good among the herdsmen to fish out the bad eggs among them within seven days in the interest of peace,’’ Akintayo stated.
The Chairman of the Osun State Branch of MACBAN, Alhaji Abdulahi Alilu, pledged
to give maximum support to the OPC and other security agencies to curb
insecurity in the state.
Represented by Seriki Soliu, a member of the association, Alilu said that cattle breeders were also victims of kidnapping.
He promised to work closely with the OPC to ensure that criminals were brought to book.
Mr. Muhammad Adam, the spokesman of Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria also known as Fulani Intelligence Squad, assured that the group would work closely with the OPC to foster security in Osun State.
Source: Freedom Online