Yoruba monarchs canvass state police, traditional means to tackle insecurity

Traditional rulers in the South-West geopolitical zone, on Thursday, called for state police and the use of traditional means to tackle insecurity in the zone.

The monarcha made the call as they converged on Ile-Ife, Osun State, to address the insecurity challenges bedevilling the region.

While noting that attacks on Yoruba traditional rulers and eminent sons of the race were systematically organised, they stressed that the attacks by herdsmen portend expansionist tendencies to overrun Yorubaland.

Traditional rulers from Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, and Oyo states, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye III; Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Victor Kiladejo; the Deji of Akure, Aladetoyinbo Adedelusi; Owa Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti, Oba Joseph Adewole; Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi; Olowu of Owu, Oragun of Oke-Ila, Oludo of Ido-Osun, Aragbiji of Iragbiji and a host of others.

Some of the traditional rulers, who spoke at the summit, reechoed the need to finalise issues around the creation of State Police for effective policing of the region, urging the Federal Government not to go back on its move to allow state police to become operational.

In his keynote address, the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams stressed the need for cooperation from South-West monarchs in tackling insecurity in the region.

Read also: Shareholders’ funds wiped out as MTN Nigeria records massive N740bn FX losses in FY 2023 report

Adams said: “This summit is a welcome development, I implore Yoruba traditional rulers to put pressure on the state governors in the region to engage local security groups to succeed in the fight against intruders in forests across Yorubaland.

“We must also collectively make case for true federalism where proper federal structure with adequate security measures would be put in place to allow for effective and adequate policing of the region.”

The summit, in a communique by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; Akarigbo of Remo, Oba Adewale Ajayi and four other monarchs on behalf of others, observed that the attacks by herdsmen were responsible for food insecurity and scarcity in the southwest as farmers were afraid of going to their farmlands due to organized attacks.

The communique reads: “That the Yoruba, especially the traditional rulers should make recourse to their natural resources including natural powers to combat banditry and kidnapping; that Yoruba Obas should not jettison traditional values.

“That government at all levels should recognize the roles of traditional rulers and factor them into the national security architecture.

“That the entire Obas in Yorubaland should work in unison to ward off the evils of banditry and kidnappings as each of the states could only succeed in chasing the marauders to another state.

“That any Oba, who is disinterested in Yoruba culture and custom, should abdicate his throne, for anyone who is deeply versed and interested in Yoruba traditions.

“That each time an attack took place, the offenders were quickly left off the hook by the powers that be and that the judicial process should be strengthened to mete out appropriate punishments to culprits or bring them to justice.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now