Osun must not become theatre of violence, Adegoke warns

By Ismail Azeez

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Osun Central Senatorial District, Kunle Adegoke, SAN, has called for urgent and coordinated measures to tackle youth violence, cultism, drug abuse and political thuggery in Osun State.

Adegoke warned that the state could not afford to allow violence and the exploitation of young people for political purposes to become normalised.

He made the call while outlining what he described as a holistic approach to addressing the economic, social and security factors driving youth involvement in violent activities.

He called for stronger community-based early-warning and mediation mechanisms, as well as greater emphasis on conflict resolution, civic responsibility and peaceful engagement in schools.

Adegoke proposed the establishment of an Osun Youth Peace and Security Summit involving government, security agencies, traditional institutions, religious bodies, youth organisations, civil society groups, schools, parents and community leaders.

According to him, government, security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, parents, community leaders and political actors must work together to prevent further loss of lives.

“Enough is enough. Osun must not become a theatre of violence. Our young people deserve a future and protecting that future must become everyone’s responsibility.

“Youths must not be turned into weapons for political ambitions. Do not kill for anybody. Do not die for anybody’s political ambition.

“The choice before Osun is clear. We can continue reacting after another young person has been killed, or we can build systems that prevent the next killing.

“Our young people deserve a future, and protecting that future must become everyone’s responsibility,” he said.