A concerned citizen and an All Progressives Congress, APC stakeholder, Mr. Omoyele Olabode has expressed heartfelt concern over the threat to security in Nigeria, particularly the South West states.
Olabode in an exclusive chat with newsmen noted that there is need to rejig the security apparatus of the South-West as he said it is worrisome that banditry is now making a violent in road into a region that was known to be security tight against external incursion of such violent criminals.
The Igbotako born business magnate and politician said while it is commendable that the National Assembly is actively legislating on State Police, there is supposedly an existing region based security structure in
The South-West Security Network codenamed Amotekun Corps, noting that Governors across South-West Nigeria should invest proactive support for this security organization.
Olabode said the invasion of a Local Government Area in Ogbomoso, Oyo State was a disturbing development that simply shows that the security threat we used to hear of from far away land of the North is finally making a deadly in road into peaceful South-West communities, stressing that in Yorubaland, when danger is noticed from afar, a net of caution and prevention is spread ahead to ward off the danger.
“Prior to this time, it was unheard of that bandits would invade any Oodua community and would inherit a vast swathe of land where they keep as their captives freeborn of Yoruba land.
We are aware of communities in the North-West where terrorists now claim co-ownership of local authority with local and state government.
“It is a most unwelcoming development and for it to be nipped in the bud the sub national governments across the South West states of Nigeria must collectively see this sad development as a phenomenon urgently needing their collective resolution, ” Olabode stated.
While commending the efforts of Amotekun Corps whose impact is very well felt across Ondo State, Olabode noted that South-West Governors can still do more by activating state-based legislative process that will offer the regional security outfits the authority to be in possession of and use modem firearms in their security beats, stressing that even when State Police is approved, the Amotekun Corps will continue to be a sister agency committed to securing the South-West.
“With the security challenge been faced in the South-West, except we want to indulge self illusion, the South-West Security apparatus, Amotekun Corps, need more funding and more legislative backing of Governors of the region.
“The personnel are ready but if there is a superior firearms than theirs in the hand of criminal invaders with a hunger for unethical territorial expansion and if there is poor intelligence gathering effort by the corps, their effort will be easily checkmated.
“The ball is in the court of South West Governors to do the needful now that the security threat understandably is still at the teething stage in the South West.
*We all must take heed before ideological infidels turn our back yard to a minefield of bloodletting and cells for captives,” Olabode warned.