Insecurity: S/West residents pay over N3bn as ransom to kidnappers — Gani Adams
Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
The Generalissimo of Yoruba land and leader of Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) Chief Gani Adams on Thursday disclosed that residents in the Southwest must have paid over N3billion as ransom to kidnappers since the mounting problem of insecurity.
He revealed that it is about time everyone rise up in unison to tackle this hydraheaded monster.
He reiterated call for state police, stressing that it is the only way out of the continued worsening insecurity challenges confronting the country.
He made this call at South West Security Stakeholders conference held at ONTEC Events Centre, Abeokuta.
The stakeholders security conference with the theme “Stemming The Tide of Insecurity In South West, Nigeria, A Criminology Therapy had in attendance over 1000 participants from various Yoruba groups such as the hunters, the Agbekoyas, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) Yoruba Youth Congress, The Amotekuns, Vigilante among others.
Chief Adams noted that the insecurity challenge bedeviling the country has kept worsening such that governors of Benue State and Katsina, Samuel Ortom and Aminu Masari have recently called on the residents of their respective States to carry arms and defend themselves.
He said just as many prominent Nigerians such as Gov Kayode Fayemi among others had called for establishment of state police in the past, Chief Gani Adams who is also the Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land said that the worsening insecurity situation has only supported the call for governors to control the police and other security architectures of their respective States.
According to him, “the situation in the country is so worrisome that travellers can hardly travel for a journey of six hours without the gripping fear of falling victims of murderous bandits.
“The Southwest has lost over 400 people to these senseless killings, our people have paid over N3billion as ransom, now is the time for all hands to be on deck to stop these marauders.
“The time to allow state police to take off is now, even the North who felt uncomfortable with the call for state police in the past now believe that this is the way out.”
He said the essence of the stakeholders’ conference which had been held in the past at Lagos and Ibadan was essentially to build the capacity of various local security groups and strengthened them to collaborate with other security agencies in tackling the challenges of insecurity in the country.
The guest lecturer at the conference, Prof Gbenga Akingbehin from the Department of Public Law and Criminology, University of Lagos listed good governance, creation of state police, profiling of herdsmen, equitable distribution of resources among others as some of the recipe for fighting insecurity in the Southwest.
Speaking at the event, the Ogun State Commander of Southwest Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, CP Dave Akinremi (rtd) called for unity among various Yoruba groups saying that all of these groups must work as a team to tackle the problem of insecurity confronting the Yoruba land.
