INSECURITY: WOMEN GROUP HAIL IGP, SOUTHWEST GOVERNORS FOR PARTNERING WITH OPC, OTHERS TO FIGHT BANDITS, KIDNAPPERS
Women pressure group, Oduduwa Women Advocacy Initiative ????(OWAI) that cross across the six states in the Southwest, Kogi, Kwara, and Edo States has hailed the recent action of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Muhammadu Adamu over the plan to partner with the Aare Onakankafo, Dr. Gani Adams led Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and also embrace the practice of community policing to curb the incessant incidents of armed bandits, kidnapping, and high level of insecurity that have been threatening the peace of the southwest region for sometime now.
The group also gave kudos to the six governors of Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti, Osun, Ogun and Lagos for risen up to the security challenge of the region by putting resources together to jointly tackle the menace with the help of police, OPC, local hunters and members of Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN).
In a statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital and signed by it national President, Erelu Modupe Martins, on Saturday, OWAI noted that the IGP is adopting the best aproach to the deadly situation at hand by making it part of the force strategies, to partner with the Aare Gani Adams-led members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) to reduce the spate of insecurity in the Southwest to it bearest minimum.
Martins said the involvement of OPC and other known local security outfits in the renewed war against banditry and kidnapping will send panic and palpable fear down the spines of the evil doers and bandits who had hitherto, took over all the highways and forestry in the region, thereby causing serious security threat to the lawful residents going about their daily activities.
The IGP at the Southwest geo-political Security Summit, held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo state, last week, highlighted the plans of the police to use human and technology- driven measures to fight the scourge in the region by patnering the OPC, local hunter, vigilante group and community policing to compliment his men.
However, the president of the women group thanked the IGP and the state governors for the great initiatives reached at the Ibadan summit, stressing that the group had been clamouring for the involvement of the OPC in the fight against insecurity, judging by the past interventions of the Aare Gani Adams led OPC in protecting lives and properties of people living in the Southwest and the courageous activities of the group in facing those who were identified as evil perpetrators and enemies of the people even when nobody was ready to assist and support the OPC while the cleanse exercise lasted.
“We believe in OPC, we know what they’re capable of doing to fish out the bad eggs in our society and confronted head on, the armed bandits and kidnappers that have taken over our highways, and restore sanity and peace back to the region. OPC is tested and trusted and we are sure that mere mentioning the name will scattered the camps of the criminals and put abrupt stop to their further operations. When the cat is back from journey, all the rats that have been feeding fat in the house will take to their heels else, they’ll meet their Waterloo.
“We, as wives, mothers and sisters are ready to support our men with all the powers invested on us by God to ensure success of the fight because the women are worse hit by the devilish activities of these bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers and other criminals who on daily visit our homes with fears, pains and deaths, that leave us with sorrow, tears and blood”, Erelu Modupe Martins stated.
- She then urged the royal fathers in Yorubaland to play their roles as custodians of the people’s traditions and security of lives and properties in their domains, adding that they too must give the OPC, police and other security groups the necessary support and encouragement to work assiduously to achieve lasting peace in all the hooks and crannies of the southwest region and all other states where Yoruba people are domiciled.
