Group decries rising cases of robbery, kidnappings in South West

The Yoruba Council of Elders, YCE, has decried the rising spate of robberies and kidnapping in the South West charging the governors of the zone to ensure the Western Nigeria Security Network code name Operation Amotekun begins operations as soon as possible.

Former President of the YCE, Col. Ade Agbede, retd, who spoke on behalf of the elders of the forum on Sunday, noted that the renewed robbery and kidnap activities in the zone, would have been effectively curtailed, if the Amotekun outfit had begun operations.

The elder’s forum in a statement called on South West governors to expedite action on making Amotekun project functional, to aid other security agencies in curtailing crime in the South West.

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The forum said: “Whatever may be the bottleneck must have been done with by now. Even, those in Abuja expressing misgivings about the project must have been dazed by the reality of the moment.

“That our people had to resolve to self-help was a glaring indication that our police lacks both the manpower and equipment to adequately police the country. That’s the reason the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, must not see the security outfit as a rival group, but a complementing arm to ensure the safety of lives and property.”

The forum also acknowledged the various steps being taken by the state governors, to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Southwest,

“The only sure way of halting the spread of the contagious disease is to discourage gatherings of people which the stay-at-home order is addressing. But, for how long can the government lock up the people at home without adequate provision for what they would eat?

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