Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere, has called on President Bola Tinubu to promptly give an Executive Order allowing state and local governments to set up their own police forces.
The National Publicity of the group, Jare Ajayi, in a statement issued Tuesday called on the President and relevant security agencies to up the ante in tackling the menace.
Afenifere has expressed deep concern over the spate of internal security breaches from various parts of the country in recent times.
It said it concern was against the backdrop of the gruesome murder of a 62 year old grandmother, Iyanuoluwa Adamolekun, at her Similoluwa area, Agbaluku Arigidi Akoko in Ondo State; kidnapping incidents in Saki, Okaka and Ipapo, Oke ogun, Oyo State within a month; Fulani herders’ attacks on farmers in Afon, Ipokia, Ogun State, Iwere-Ile, Komu and Otu in Oyo State; amputation of a 12 year old Fulani boy in Mayaki, Niger State; the killing of Rev. David Musa of the ECWA in Obajana, Kogi state on October 14, 2023.
It pointed out that the abduction of about 15 church members in Ondo state in September, the narrow escape of Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni in the hands of terrorists where two police officers died last weekend, massacre of some farmers in Benue State among others.
Afenifere stressed that it was a known fact that the Army is for the maintenance of the country’s territorial integrity while internal security is the major responsibility of the Police according to the constitutional provisions.
It noted that the efforts of the police and allied security agencies have however not been yielding the desired results because of the inherent structural error.
It added that as is known, the Nigerian Police as well as other security agencies in the country are under centralised heads in the nation’s capital, Abuja.
It said it means that these organisations are being run as though Nigeria is operating a unitary system of government and as though the country is monolithic in culture, language, mannerism.
Afenifere stated: “It means that there is an urgent need to decentralize and empower the security agencies if the insecurity that is fast consuming the nation is to be brought under control.
“As we have been shouting for about two years now, the President is enjoined to promptly give an Executive Order allowing state and local governments in the country to set up their own police forces as is being practiced by various countries that are heterogenous and large.
“Machinery can then be set in motion for the National Assembly to quickly amend the relevant sections of the Constitution accordingly. The time to do so is now, if a stop is to be put to the avoidable loss of lives, properties, declining economic activities due to fear of being kidnapped and the trauma that these acts of banditry are causing the people.”