South West leaders, monarchs task IGP on security, back community policing

• UN envoy decries extra-judicial killings, corruption, others
Governors of the South West region, traditional rulers and opinion leaders in the zone yesterday charged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Muhammed Adamu, to do more in providing adequate security in the country.

They stated this on the backdrop of failure of the Nigerian police to check the escalating insecurity in the country evidenced by the killings, kidnappings, banditry and other violent acts and therefore, sought a review of the country’s security apparatuses.

Specifically, they told the IGP that the increasing insecurity in the land has forced many Yoruba in the Diaspora to shun coming back to their home country, adding that this has negative implications for the socio-economic wellbeing of the region, and asked him “to do more”.

The Yoruba leaders spoke at the South West Security Summit convened by the IGP at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, which attracted many dignitaries.

It was a follow-up to the earlier security summits held by the Development Agenda of Western Nigeria (DAWN), with the mandate to strategise on how best to curb rising insecurity in the zone.

Speaking, Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, noted that it was unfortunate that many Yoruba in the Diaspora could not come home to contribute to the development of the region because of the alarming rate of insecurity in the South West.

“The governors in the South West are doing their best, but we now rely on God to protect us. God will continue to protect us. We know that the IGP has been trying his best, but you can do more. Our people are afraid and as such they don’t want to come home,” he said.

On his part, Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, who decried agitations for establishment of state police, advised that community policing would solve most of the insecurity challenges in the county.

He urged the six governors of the South West to tell President Muhammadu Buhari that community policing was required to tackle the nation’s insecurity.

Governor Seyi Makinde, who read the communiqué at the end of the summit, said: “Inspector-General of Police has approved deployment of special forces to be commanded by a Commissioner of Police (CP) who lead a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) team to support the crime fighting initiative of state commissioners of police.

Meanwhile, in view of the security challenges confronting the country the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Extra Judicial Summary or Arbitrary Execution, Agnes Callamard, has said extra judicial killings, lack of accountability of security operatives and insincerity of the justice system were fueling insecurity in the nation.

Callamard, who visited Nigeria from August 19 to September 3, 2019 to examine violations of the right to life by state and non-state actors, said, “After my mission, my key message is that Nigeria need urgent action to end the pressure cooker of violence, which is claiming thousands of lives in the country.

“My preliminary findings show that Nigeria is a pressure cooker of internal conflict and generalised pattern of lack of accountability that must be addressed urgently. With issues of poverty and climate change adding to the crisis,” she stated.

Speaking at a media briefing yesterday in Abuja, she also expressed concern over non-accountability of security operatives, saying: “If ignored its ripple effects would spread through the sub -Saharan region and the major victims will be the country’s most disenfranchised and vulnerable populations.