Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure and Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti
Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Afenifere yesterday expressed their readiness to collectively fight insecurity and promote Nigeria’s unity.
The groups collectively called on the Federal Government to end all forms of insecurity in the country and ensure the unity of Nigeria is not threatened by ethnicity or any group of people.
The two groups also resolved to work together to bring an end to incessant killings and kidnappings in the South West and South East. They also called on the Federal Government to initiate programmes that will ensure the safety and protection of all Nigerians irrespective of their religious or tribal affiliations.
The positions of the two groups were made known to newsmen when a delegation of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the South West visited Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure to commiserate with him over the death of his daughter, Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, who was allegedly killed by Fulani herdsmen at Kajola village on Benin/Ore Expressway in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, penultimate Friday.
Ohanaeze Secretary General in the South West, Inno-Chuks Ezechiefo, who spoke on behalf of Igwe Gregory Ilohika, who led the delegation to Fasoranti, said Afenifere and Ohanaeze have
always worked together for the unity of Nigeria, adding that the two groups will work together again to bring an end to insecurity in the country.
He said both the Igbo and Yoruba are peace-loving people and warned the Federal Government not to push them to the wall in the interest of peace and unity of the country.
Meanwhile, a journalist and novelist, Sam Omatseye, has urged the Federal Government to use the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) to fight criminals in the South West.
He said the deployment of drones in the South West to track down kidnappers and killers might fail, if there is no JTF to boost the intelligence gathering for security agencies to take proper actions.
Omatseye, who is on the editorial board of The Nation Newspapers, said the emasculation of the Boko Haram insurgents in the North East by the military was made possible by the civilian JTF constituted by former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima.
He said the bombings and killings in the North East, particularly in Borno State could have persisted, but for fearlessness of the locals constituted into the JTF for robust intelligence gathering.
Omatseye spoke, yesterday, while delivering a lecture entitled: “To secure, first we have to love: herdsmen, kidnappers, Boko Haram and the climate of fear,” at the maiden edition of a public lecture organised by the Faculty of Arts, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti.
Omatseye, represented by the Obanla of Ijesa Isu Ekiti, Oba Gabriel Oso Adeniyi, urged Nigerians to see the issue of security as everybody’s business and not the sole responsibility of the government and security agencies .
“With each afraid of the other, we can’t stop banditry, or herdsmen crisis, or even Boko Haram. We need a leadership of fairness and fearlessness. What did the former Borno governor, Shettima did to drive out Boko Haram among the people? They were civilian JTF. We need drones as well as intelligence when the military had failed us.
“We need to create civilian equivalents of the JTF in the South West and other part of the country. The JTF can gather intelligence about the whereabouts of these killers, the drones can then monitor where exactly they are and the Air Force can go to work,” Omatseye said.
On why the herdsmen clashes and kidnapping might be difficult to resolve or get a permanent solution, Omatseye said: “Do we have the political will that will give us permanent peace to these crises? If we have the political will, then there will be peace, but otherwise, there won’t be.”
Earlier, acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olubunmi Ajayi, said no society that puts value on human lives will underrate the menace of insecurity causing tension in the nation at present.
She said the university education is a capital intensive venture that requires public private partnership for it to be able to function as a real citadel of learning.
Ajayi said the management will continually support faculties to expand the frontiers of social and academic interactions that would solve many societal problems and boost the intellectual capacities of the students and lecturers.