Wahab Shittu, a senior advocate for Nigeria, has called for stronger community-based security measures to combat the state of insecurity in some Kwara South.
Shittu made the announcement on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday.
He said, “If we want to address this problem, especially in Kwara South, we must strengthen community-based protection.”
He added that authority must be exercised by local security officials, vigilante organizations, and other organizations.
The community must increase its capacity to address these issues, the statement states. They can’t rely solely on the state government’s efforts.
Shittu claimed that border communities are still vulnerable because of the area’s persistent insecurity.
Read more about IGP sending an intelligence team to Kwara after a church attack here.
He claims that “our borders around Kwara South and other communities in that area are porous, which allows the influx of weapons and armed bandits into these areas without checks.”
He argued that the situation calls for more active security cooperation from neighborhood residents, noting that relying solely on the state government won’t solve the issue.
Shittu also pointed out resource and human resource gaps and suggested that security agencies appeared overstretched.
He claimed that “the security agencies appear to be overwhelmed by the security agents’ lack of support and staffing.”
He recalled the Kwara State Government’s response to recent Kwara South attacks.
Remember that the state governor had to convene state security meetings where traditional rulers, local government chairmen, and other important stakeholders in the security architecture came together, as the Kwara South situation demonstrated.
The senior attorney argued that local involvement in long-term security is essential.
Security must be increased, he said, and everyone involved in the process must be in the mix if you want to address what is happening at the community level.
He further stated that traditional rulers, regional government chairmen in these regions, as well as local vigilante organizations, should be mobilized to take security seriously rather than merely to the state or federal government.
Abductions
In recent weeks, there have been two significant kidnappings in Kwara State that have occurred within a week.
38 members of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) branch in Eruku were abducted on Tuesday last week, according to reports of gunmen killing others.
Many residents fled into nearby bushes for safety, according to eyewitnesses in the community who reported to Channels Television that the attackers stormed the area “suddenly and heavily armed.”
The bandits had requested $3 billion to release the victims, but the ransom was later reduced to $760 million.
In the same Kwara State, bandits abducted 11 residents and struck the Isapa community in the Ekiti Local Government Area shortly after the Eruku attack.
More than 20 gunmen stormed the neighborhood on Monday carrying a sizable herd of cattle and fired shots without distinction. A stray bullet reportedly struck the elderly woman during the attack.
Seven of the abducted people belong to the same family, according to a community leader who spoke on condition of anonymity. A pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, and several young children are among the victims.
Release of the Eruku victims
The 38 worshipers who had been abducted by bandits from Eruku’s Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) were set free on Monday by the Kwara State Government.
The worshipers were released on Sunday, according to Governor Abdul Rahman AbdulRazaq, who signed a statement signed by his chief press secretary Rafiu Ajakaye.
However, the statement made no mention of how the abductees came back to life.
After “a lot of days of hard work by security forces and government representatives,” the statement reads, “Abdul Rahman AbdulRazaq is pleased to announce the freedom of 38 people who were recently abducted in an attack on Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Eruku, Ekiti LGA, Kwara State.”
The state government attributed President Bola Tinubu’s “hands-on approach” to the rescue of the victims, which reportedly “personally led the efforts” to free the abductees.
However, the statement made no mention of how the abductees came back to life.
After “a lot of days of hard work by security forces and government representatives,” the statement reads, “Abdul Rahman AbdulRazaq is pleased to announce the freedom of 38 people who were recently abducted in an attack on Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Eruku, Ekiti LGA, Kwara State.”
Source: Channels TV
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