Halimat Ibrahim
The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere, has outlined some steps for the federal government to tackle in order to tackle the heightniing in in the country.
In a statement issued Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, Afenifere said that the need to tame the monster was compelling as unchecked terrorism in any part of the country was putting pressures on other parts of the country hitherto considered as safe.
He added that the immediate reason for this new call were the terror acts unleashed on Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Borno, Sokoto, Niger, Ondo, Katsina, Rivers States lately.
The group recall that about 200 people were reportedly killed on Christmas eve in three local government areas of Plateau State while over 10,000 were rendered homeless.
It said on the same Christmas eve, 12 people were reportedly killed by suspected gunmen in Kurya village, Rabbah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
This, it noted, was in addition to some killings and kidnappings that took place in the same state earlier in December, 2023, saying that of Borno was typified by repeated assaults in Chibok.
Afenifere stressed that towards the party and of December 2023, detachments of security agencies were in Igbeti and Sepeteri, Oke-Ogun, Oyo State to thwart the plan by suspected bandits to unleash terror in the area.
It emphasised that people of Akoko and Igbara Oke in Ondo State are afraid of armed herdsmen, just as residents of some parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, are now living in fear of kidnappers.
The group added that Rivers State Police Command confirmed the kidnapping of some travelers last Wednesday along Obiri-Ikwerre – Airport Road in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state by some gunmen.
It stressed that last Thursday, a sister of the paramount ruler of Idah kingdom in Kogi State, Mallama Meimunat Opaluwa-Sani, aged 75, her daughter, Hajarat Usman Sani and her five years old granddaughter, Onechojo were set ablaze by suspected arsonists in the early hours of that day at her residence in Oketekwe, Idah.
The group noted that there were also are reports that bandits launched attacks on some communities in Zamfara and Kaduna States because the people there ‘failed’ to pay the ‘levies’ imposed on them before they could harvest items on their farms.
Afenifere said the list appears to be endless, adding, “thus, we don’t want the statistics to continue. This is why we are now coming up with suggestions on steps that need to be taken to end terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
To this end, It called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently convene ‘Meetings for Understanding and Peaceful Co-existence’ among local leaders so as to stem increasing terrorism and banditry.
It explained that a careful appraisal of the ogre of terrorism indicated that the incidents coulf be categorised into four.
It stated: “Those being carried out for the purpose of exhorting money from people (manifesting in kidnapping). Those being carried out for territorial reasons. Those being carried out for ideological reasons and those being carried out with the encouragement of external interests as a result of mineral resources available where the victims domicile.”
