Afenifere berates Osinbajo over statement on insecurity

The Pan Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere has berated Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo over a comment he made on Sunday while addressing some Nigerians in New York on insecurity in Nigeria.

Recall that the Vice President had during a town hall meeting in New York on Sunday evening while responding to questions and comments as regards “high rate of killings and kidnappings” in the country stated that, “With respect to general kidnapping which we have seen in parts of the country, again, this is not entirely new. In fact, some of the kidnapping stories you read or listen to are simply not true anywhere, some are fueled by politics.

At the meeting, Osinbajo added that, “There are cases of kidnapping, no question at all about that, but some of the more dramatic stories that you hear are simply not true.”

But at a meeting on Tuesday at the Akure home of its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Afenifere maintained that the growing trends of insecurity in the country is an indication of a failed state, particularly with the recent security alerts issued by the United Kingdom and United States of America to their citizens over security threats in most parts of the country.

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While stating that the development calls for concern, the group stressed that it does not reflect truthfulness on the part of the Vice-President as “Yorubaland is Still Under Siege” as well the continued “traumatization of our people by Fulani herdsmen/kidnappers/militia all across the Six states in the zone as well as Kwara and Kogi States.”

According to the National Publicity Secretary of the group, Yinka Odumakin who signed the communiqué after the meeting, Afenifere, “frowned at this unfortunate comments by the Vice President who shames the Yoruba people with his very cheap politicking with the lives of Nigerians.”

The communiqué read in parts, “All the reports provided clear indications of failure of state as the security forces have largely incapable or unwilling to safeguard the lives of our people against these Criminals as we are not aware of any of them that has been arrested or is under trial at the moment just as all the Federal Government has done so far is to make excuses for the Boko Haram and Miyetti Allah groups that have been accused of so many crimes against the people of Nigeria.

“It is against this backdrop that the meeting was scandalized by the opportunistic and provocative utterances of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in NewYork on Sunday dismissing the danger we are faced with in Yorubaland as well as by other zones in Nigeria as being “politically motivated.”

Afenifere added that even the presidency cannot shy away from the pervading insecurity in country particularly as it affects the president’s hometown, Daura as well as dignitaries across the country.

The group however called on President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw from his position as the Patron of Miyetti Allah if he is sincere of tackling the issue of herdsmen attacks in the country.

“We restate our earlier call on Mr. President to separate the office of the President of Nigeria which he occupies from being also the grand patron of Miyetti Allah which we suspect makes it very difficult for security agents to go after members of this group whenever they commit or are accused of crimes.”