Security stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and ideological leanings in Yorubaland have declared full support to any foreign assistance that would help Nigeria to crush kidnappers, bandits and terrorists ravaging the nation, provided the terms are clear, and Nigeria’s sovereignty and international laws and rules of engagement are respected.
In a communique issued on Monday at the end of the security stakeholders’ summit hosted by the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, and notable Yoruba leaders in partnership with over 13 socio-political groups, the stakeholders also stated in their resolution that there should be immediate and total ban on open grazing in all Yorubaland, adding that interstate transportation of cattle, and between communities should be by vehicles like pickup trucks, articulated vehicles and rail.
The summit, themed “Towards a united front against insecurity in Yorubaland,” urged all state governments in Yorubaland to put in place legislation enabling the establishment of cattle ranches as the main model for meat and dairy production in the South-West, with a proviso for the Bank of Agriculture to support private investors in this regard.
“Also, the Federal Government should commence the building of protective fence and walls along the borders with Niger, Chad, Cameroon and the Benin Republic,” the communique stated.
The conference, therefore, tasked the federal and state governments to embark on the implementation of compulsory and free qualitative education at pre-tertiary levels across Nigeria, with improved funding and upgrade of facilities to acceptable global benchmarks.
The stakeholders also stressed the need for immediate and fast-tracked establishment of state police in all states in South-West and all other states based on public recruitment of indigenous people, especially from organisations with track records in security and public safety.
“The state police in Yorubaland should be organised and empowered based on a balanced architecture that blends culturally grounded methods (particularly at the rank-and-file level and rural areas) with emerging technologies, including drones, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), remote surveillance tools, and other lawful modern security assets.
“Governments in Yorubaland should embark on a deliberate and structured strengthening of welfare and institutional support for local operatives,” they stated.
However, the forum, while expressing solidarity with the people of Middle Belt states of Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba, as well as Bauchi in the North-East where insecurity has assumed a clear dimension of Fulani attacks on mainly Christian indigenous people, noted that in the circumstance, it is the height of insincerity and criminal complicity to continue to assert that there is no genocide.
The forum further urged the National Assembly to prioritise devolution of power and restructuring to drive economic growth, development and encourage healthy competition among the regions.
According to the resolutions, it is important to invest traditional rulers with constitutional responsibilities for them to effectively perform their customary roles in intelligence gathering and control within their domain.
Moreover, the conference unanimously supported the proposed amendment of the 2022 Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act by the National Assembly, which prescribes a death sentence for perpetrators, financiers, informants and other enablers of kidnapping.
In its observations, the conference stated that there is an unrelenting attempt by the Jihadists to complete the conquest of sub-Saharan West Africa, which they started 1800s by violent conquest.
