• Afenifere, Yoruba Ronu, DAWN Commission differ on development
A Southwest Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Yoruba Koya Leadership and Training foundation (YKLTF), has sued the six governors of the region and those of Edo, Kwara and Kogi states and their Attorney Generals and Commissioners for Justice, over what the group called their nonchalant attitude towards the safety and security of inhabitants of the regions.
In a statement, the Director of Media and Publicity of YKLTF, Amb. Demola Sanyaolu, and President of the organisation, Otunba Giwa Deji Osibogun, said the group resolved to take the legal path due to the seeming lackadaisical attitude of the governors towards the plight of lives of citizens in their states.
The plaintiffs in the suit IB/CS/189/22 filed at the Federal High Court, Ibadan Judicial division, stated that their action was in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in the interest of the people of the Yoruba ethnic group with absolute rights as provided under the Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, to protect themselves and their means of livelihood from destruction by foreign/local herders and bandits.
YKLTF also noted that of recent, road travelling through the states inhabited by the Yoruba people in the states of Edo, Ekiti, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo, have become dangerous owing to the incessant kidnapping, banditry and robbery being carried out by foreign/local herders and bandits along the highways unchallenged.
The group in their suits also stated that having visited various farming communities in Yoruba land at personal risks to interview and interact with the farmers and other inhabitants, it discovered that farmers could no longer go to their farms for fear of being killed or kidnapped by these foreign/local herders and life generally has become very hard, nasty and frustrating to them.
According to Otunba Osibogun, “It will be recalled that in the past, we made attempt by writing letters and sending emissaries to the governors, which have not yielded results. We have decided to pursue the legal step to at least ask them to come to the aid of the citizens.”
Meanwhile, the apex Yoruba socio-political organisations, Afenifere, Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum and Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission expressed diverse dispositions toward the development.
Speaking with The Guardian, National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Jare Ajayi, said everything possible and necessary that needed be done to ensure security of life and properties across Nigeria and not only in Yoruba land, must be done to compel the governors and other necessary stakeholders.
While he didn’t support or opposed to the Yoruba Koya group, Ajayi said insecurity across the country and in Yoruba land has become a serious issue of concern that must be tackled frontally.
But the DG DAWN Commission, Seye Oyeleye said he doubted if taking the governors of the Southwest to court over poor state of security is the best for now.
According to him, “The Southwest governors are trying their best to ensure security in their various states but we’re hampered by the 1999 Constitution, which limits power or determination to even acquire the necessary equipment needed to fight crime.”
He said taking the governors to court will not solve anything as far as the 1999 Constitution is still in place. “Despite the fact that our governors are spending billions on the Southwest Security outfit, Amotekun, they cannot purchase sophisticated arms and ammunitions for the Amotekun Corp Members. They cannot get drones without approval from Federal Government. There is a lot of constitutional constrains for the governors to fight insecurity.”
President Yoruba Ronu, Mr. Akin Malaolu urged Yoruba Koya to withdraw the case with immediate effect, saying, it was an effort in futility.
