Urges President to engage local leaders in affected areas

The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, yesterday, called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently convene ‘Meetings for Understanding and Peaceful Co-existence’ among local leaders to stem increasing terrorism and banditry.

A statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, yesterday, the group said the immediate reason for the call was because of the terror acts unleashed in Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Borno, Sokoto, Niger, Ondo, Katsina, Rivers states and others recently.

Ajayi stated that the need to tame the monster is compelling as unchecked terrorism in any part of the country is putting pressures on other parts of the country hitherto considered as safe. He added that Afenifere, being an organisation that has empathy, had always felt the pains of those who are at the receiving end irrespective of where they are from, “especially since we are bound together as Nigerians.”

It would be recalled that about 200 people were reportedly killed on Christmas Eve in three local councils of Plateau State while over 10,000 people were rendered homeless.

On the same day, 12 people were reportedly killed by suspected gunmen in Kurya Village, Rabbah Local Council of Sokoto State. This was in addition to some killings and kidnappings that took place in the same state earlier, among others.

According to Ajayi, the list appears to be endless.He said: “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.

“Careful appraisal of the ogre of terrorism and so on indicated that the incidents can be categorised into four: those being carried out for the purpose of extorting money from people (manifesting in kidnapping), those being carried out for territorial reason, those being carried out for ideological reason and those being carried out with the encouragement of external interests as a result of mineral resources available where the victims domicile.”

The group’s spokesman then urged President Tinubu “to consider taking the following steps: “First is to identify areas that have mineral resources as those areas appear to be targets of those who want to take over the land and/or exploit the resources beneath the lands. After identifying those areas, the government should ensure that the presence of the Ministry of Solid Mineral Resources and security agencies is felt in a manner that the resources would be mined to enhance the socio-economic conditions of the people.

“Meetings should be convened with local leaders. Representatives of youths, religious bodies, artisans, including representatives of identified marauders in the areas where those unfortunate incidents are taking place, should also be invited to the meetings. At such meetings, a carrot and stick approach has to be employed. Participants must be made to know that going violent against one another is self-destructive. Whatever is the bone of contention must be identified and be dealt with in a manner that would uphold justice and fairness.

“And the government must let it be known that anyone who violates the rule would be dealt with. And it must follow this warning with action when necessary.

Ajayi added that those who are sacking communities and taking over their lands must be stopped and dealt with accordingly. He also maintained that most of the terror acts (or their perpetrators) are known to some leaders in the given areas, hence the need to engage them frontally.