The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has strongly condemned the recent surge of terrorist and bandit attacks across South-West Nigeria, calling on governments at all levels and security agencies to step up efforts to protect the region.
According to The Vanguard, in a statement released on Saturday, the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, said the Yoruba people are deeply alarmed by what he described as the almost daily loss of lives in several states across the region.
According to him, communities have become increasingly disturbed by the brutal way kidnapped victims are treated, noting that many abductees are subjected to severe beatings, humiliation and other forms of inhumane treatment by their captors.
Ajayi pointed to several recent incidents to illustrate the worsening situation. These include attacks on churches, police stations, homes and major highways in Ondo State; the displacement of entire communities in Kwara State; the killing of farmers and assaults on travellers along the Igbeti-Kisi road in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State; as well as disturbing kidnapping cases in Ekiti State, where some victims were reportedly murdered and their bodies held by the attackers while ransom was demanded from their families.
“The greatest demonstration of the heartlessness of these evil-doers was their demands of N1.5 million, Indian hemp, cocaine, a synthetic drug known as ICE, and cartons of canned beer for the release of a corpse in their captivity.”
“The kidnappers even hilariously asked for virgins to be brought in exchange for four men that they had previously abducted,” Ajayi said.
He added: “Until recently, the home environment was considered a ‘safe haven’. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. A couple was attacked in front of their home in Akure, Ondo State, with the husband shot while trying to prevent his wife from being abducted.
Afenifere also cited several recent incidents to illustrate the growing insecurity in different parts of the country. According to the group, an elderly man, Igwe, who is the father of a former deputy governor of Ebonyi State, was abducted while heading to church on Sunday, 1 March.
In another incident in Erinmope-Ekiti, gunmen reportedly kidnapped a family of five around 7 p.m. while residents had gone to the mosque for evening prayers.
The organisation further noted reports that armed bandits moved from house to house in the Kubwa area of Abuja during the week, robbing and abducting residents.
Ajayi also referred to a case in Edo State involving the abduction of a medical doctor and his brother. According to him, the kidnappers reportedly killed the younger sibling but released the doctor after receiving a ransom payment. The suspects were eventually arrested after the doctor later identified them when one of the kidnappers brought his sick daughter to the hospital where he was on duty and alerted the police.
Ajayi noted that the incident highlighted a disturbing contradiction, pointing out that the same criminals who sought medical help to save a family member had earlier taken another person’s life without hesitation.
While acknowledging that kidnapping and terrorism have become widespread, he maintained that the situation can still be addressed, stressing that the perpetrators are neither supernatural nor impossible to defeat.See_More…