Afenifere condemns kidnappings in South West, others

Seeks multi-level policing
The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, yesterday, condemned last Saturday’s attack by terrorists in army uniforms on a farm, in Ipapo, Oke-Ogun, Oyo State, to kidnap four people at gunpoint.

A statement signed by the organisation’s National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, stated that the circumstances surrounding the attack and how the hoodlums were able to escape with their victims, were further justifications for allowing security outfits set up by state governments to be equipped with requisite weapons.

Heavily armed gunmen numbering about 10 had invaded the farm in the evening of Saturday, October 8, 2022 and abducted 14 people. Ten of them were able to escape while the four still in captivity consisted of three males and one female.

On the same Saturday, Osun State Police spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, disclosed that Chief Oladepo Asaolu, the Babaloja of Ora-Igbomina in Oke-Ila Local Council of the state, who was kidnapped on October 5, 2022 in his farm, was found dead in a bush close to the town.

Afenifere spokesperson said: “At the beginning of this month, another traditional ruler, Oba of Owa-Onire in the Kwara South Senatorial District, his wife and driver were abducted by unknown gunmen as confirmed by the spokesman of the State Police Command, Okasanmi Ajayi.

“Back to the Iseyin-Ipapo kidnap incident, Chairman of the Farm Settlement Association, Mr. Rasheed Adedokun Adepoju, said that the gunmen were dressed in army camouflage with high grade weapons. A top officer of the local security outfit, Amotekun, who was coordinating security in the area but chose to remain anonymous, said that they got to the place in good time to rescue the victims but could not do so because the attackers carried sophisticated weapons, including AK-47.

“It was difficult for our men to confront them frontally because these assailants carried heavy arms with rounds of bullets around their bodies whereas the highest weapons in the hands of our officers were Dane guns.”

He insisted that were they to have equal arms, the attackers would not have escaped as Amotekun officials were able to prevent the terrorists from causing greater damage, saying: “Even with the limited weapons they carried. Were we to be allowed to carry sophisticated weapons that their assignment demands, the hoodlums would have met their waterloo.”

The group, which insisted that the Federal Government’s continued refusal was not only against the spirit of the country’s constitution, but also detrimental to the overall peace of the country, said that with a litany of such insecurity breaches all over the place, President Muhammadu Buhari needs to do more if his regular assertion of overcoming insecurity challenges is to be realizable.