political leadership of the South West of Nigeria to formulate a
home-made security strategy to tackle the increasing threats to the
security of lives and property of law abiding citizens of their
federating units.
“The rest of the federating units such as South South; South East; North
central; North West; North East should similarly adopt same approach
because safeguarding the security of the citizenry and coming to the aid
of state institutions such as the Nigerian Police Force and other sister
security institutions is the fundamental task of a good citizen. A
bottom to the top approa h to security and the formulation of security
strategy to make the people the owners of the process is the best
intelligence gathering tool.”
“We have watched with overwhelming excitement the collective resolve of
millions of people of South West origin including millions of other law
abiding citizens of other segments of the Nigerian federation doing
legitimate businesses in the South West, to collectively restore sanity,
security and societal harmony in that part of the country that remains
the industrial and commercial hub of the Nation, is highly commendable.
We hereby urge governors of other federating units to follow the good
model of the South West joint security architecture, to bring about the
restoration of security, peace, unity and economic advancements in all
other parts of Nigeria.”
HURIWA recalled that the governors of the South West will on January
7, inaugurate Operation Amotekun, a security strategy meant to combat
killings and kidnapping in the zone.
The Ekiti State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Muyiwa Olumilua, who
said this in an interview with one of our correspondents on Wednesday,
said vehicles and equipment for the security outfit were ready.
He stated that the inauguration was delayed by the need for all the
states to be adequately ready in terms of meeting the requirements.
HURIWA sated thus: “We commend the South West governors who had, in
September, after a meeting in Akure, said they would set up Operation
Amotekun, following serial killings and kidnapping in the zone by Fulani
herdsmen. There is every justification for the establishment of this
model security architecture following a relentless gale of armed attacks
by bandits and suspected armed Fulani bandits. In June, gunmen,
suspected to be herdsmen, killed Funke Olakunri, a daughter of the
Afenifere leader, Reuben Fasoranti, on the Ondo-Ore road.There were
cases of kidnapping, including the abduction of a lecturer at the
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Prof. Olayinka Adegbehingbe, in
May, at the Ikoyi/Apomu junction of the Ibadan-Ife Expressway in Ikire,
a border town between Osun and Oyo states. We in the organised human
rights community are happy that the governors have taken the bull by the
horns and are now doing something to checkmate the rising scale of
threats to the security of lives and property of the good people of the
South West.”