The Pan Yoruba Social-Political group, Afenifere, has asked the federal government to amend the police bill pending before the National Assembly in such a way that will put the security agency under the concurrent list
The communique of the mainstream Yoruba organisation was reached after the meeting held at the house of the leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure, the Ondo State capital. They said the bill as presently constituted did not give state governments control over the state police.
The group, in the communique read by its spokesman, Comrade Jare Ajayi, congratulated President Ahmed Bola Tinubu for sending the bill on the establishment of State Police to the National Assembly. The group also lauded the legislature for wanting to pass the Bill expeditiously.
However, the group said some areas in the Bill need to be reviewed, especially the area that tends to make the proposed State Police appendages of the federal government.
The group said there are clauses in the bill that tend to strengthen the stronghold of the federal government on state police rather than liberalizing it. They maintained that what the National Assembly and the State legislatures need to do is place Policing on the Concurrent List.
The group also called on governors of the Yoruba states (including Kogi and Kwara) to take more decisive actions on insecurity that seems to be imperiling free movement in parts of Yorubaland, among others.
Afenifere raised concern over the abduction of pupils and teachers in three schools in Oriire local government area of Oyo State and sundry kidnap incidents that are occurring in different parts of Yorubaland and Nigeria.
The group sympathized with families of victims of the abductions and urged the authorities to work harder at ensuring that the abductees are freed soonest.
Ajayi said, “It is about 50 days now that the incident in Oriire Local Government Area occurred. It is a big pity that the victims have not been rescued up till now. We feel highly disturbed that these innocent Nigerians are going through avoidable trauma. Actions must be expedited to get them out of the den of the bandits as quickly as possible.”
Afenifere said it received the news of the attacks on some hostels of the Osun State University (UNIOSUN) with shock and expressed shock that the attacks were allegedly carried out by army recruits from the Nigerian Army Depot, Osogbo, Osun State.
The spokesman of the group said the attacks resulted in robbing the students, man-handling some of them, and inappropriately harassing some female students. They, however, said it was gratifying to note that at least five of the recruits have been arrested as suspects.
Afenifere called on the authorities to dig to the root of this incident with a view to ensuring that such a thing does not happen anywhere anymore.
Afenifere said they are disturbed in noting that this happened not from the notorious bandits that the group has always heard about but from the hands of young Nigerians being trained to go and protect the citizens and defend their country.
The communique read: “It is therefore very important to bring the heavy hands of the law on them as they are likely to constitute a great danger to society. This incident also calls for proper rejigging of how candidates for positions in our security agencies are recruited and trained.
“The meeting reviewed what is going on on the political terrain as we approach the 2027 general elections and called on politicians and political players to go about their electioneering processes peacefully. It decried a situation in which thuggery occasioning losses of lives occurred. Afenifere warned that electioneering should be devoid of violence, thuggery and character assassination.
“The meeting took note of the efforts of the military and other security agencies on security issues in the land. It commended the gallantry of our soldiers and commiserated with the federal government, the military and families of gallant soldiers and other security officers who lost their lives or got wounded in the process of defending the nation. The body then recommended that”
Afenifere said security agencies should be further strengthened with more equipment, morale-boosting, enhancement of kinetic and non-kinetic security measures, and that the government and security agencies, including the military, should look inward as insecurity continues to fester because there are internal collaborators.
