Catholic Bishops ask Southwest governors to tackle insecurity

Catholic Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province have tasked governors of the six South-West states to be united to deal with the recent insecurity threats through efficient intelligence gathering, diligent prosecution of crime, increased remuneration and equipping of security outfits.

They raised the alarm over the resurgence of herdsmen attacks, kidnappings, robberies and other crimes in the South-West, particularly in the Oke-Ogun zone of Oyo State and Ogun State.

The Bishops gave the charge in a communiqué issued at the end of a two-day meeting held in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Chairman of the Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, Archbishop Gabriel Abegunrin, who read out the communiqué, said the governors must pursue with single mindedness the imperative of devising strategies to stall further incursion as well as smoke out criminals in the South-West.

“As leaders of the church in Ibadan Ecclesiastical province, we commend our political leaders for managing the security situation in this land reasonably well for the last few years, making the hope of the people in a better future grow. This proves the dictum that when there is life, there is hope. Citizens have to be alive to work for better times. Our leaders, however, cannot rest on their oars.

“We must denounce the threat posed more recently by the resurgence of the menace of herdsmen attacks, kidnappings, robberies and other crimes in parts of Yorubaland. We appeal to governors and security agencies in the southwestern states to rise to the challenge posed by these threats to maintain the relative peace and security of recent years.

“Efficient intelligence gathering, good remuneration and equipping of our security outfits and a determination to prosecute crime without favour, are all necessary for the provision of security of life and property and must be pursued with single mindedness,” the communiqué signed by Abegunrin and Most Rev. John Oyejola read.

Speaking on his personal experiences of insecurity, Archbishop Abegunrin recounted that his niece was kidnapped on her way back to Iwere-Ile, Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State from Ibadan and the family had to cough out millions to secure her release after five days in the kidnapper’s den.

He also narrated another incident in the Oke-Ogun area of the State where security personnel deployed to rescue a kidnapped victim were also killed alongside the kidnapped persons.

Abegunrin, who is Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan, called for serious government action to stem the resurgence, noting that some farmers in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State nurse fear of going to farms, while parents fear releasing their wards to schools.

Abegunrin said, “In the South-West, insecurity is rampant in Oke-Ogun; farmers couldn’t go to the farm but maybe they are now going. My niece was kidnapped on the road when she was returning to the village, Iwere-Ile, from Ibadan. She spent about five days before she was rescued with millions of naira. I also know of another man who was kidnapped like that from our village.

“The one who was kidnapped and killed, his brother wanted to go and pick the corpse, they killed that brother. Then concerned persons went to call for the intervention of soldiers at the checkpoint in town, as well as local security and the police. The security people attempted to invade but these people killed soldiers, local security and police.

“And I was asking why the government can’t do something about incessant killings like that in a small village like Iwere-Ile? Again, if you go to the Saki area, there are killings, such that people are afraid, and some people want to stop their children from going to school because they are not safe.

“I think the government should pay attention to that Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State. Many things are also happening in Ogun State. The governors should work hand-in-hand to ensure the protection and security of states in the South-West. The governors of the region should work together so that there will be no room where the bandits can enter.”

Governor Seyi Makinde had last month reported that bandits fleeing military operations in the North-West zone of the country were seeking refuge in Oyo State.