Sabotage, Complicity, Cabal Behind Rising Insecurity — Afenifere

…Calls for State Police, Security Reforms

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has attributed the persistent rise in banditry, kidnapping and terrorism in Nigeria to sabotage, corruption, complicity and the activities of powerful cabals within and outside government.

The group said repeated efforts by successive governments to tackle insecurity and other national challenges have failed largely because “powerful individuals entrusted with implementing these policies are the same people undermining them.”

This was contained in a statement issued by Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, who noted that similar sabotage has plagued key sectors such as power, water, education, agriculture, the economy and security.

According to the group, incidents of kidnapping, cattle rustling, banditry, genocide-like attacks and territorial expansionism, once limited to the North-East and North-West, have now spread to other parts of the country, including the South-West.

Afenifere expressed particular concern over the growing insecurity in Yorubaland, which it said was previously relatively safe.

The group listed affected areas to include parts of Kogi, Kwara, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states, as well as Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa areas of Oyo State, and Yewa and Ijebu Waterside areas of Ogun State.

“At a time when many Nigerians are already struggling to make ends meet, safety has now become the primary concern before any meaningful livelihood can be pursued,” Ajayi said, adding that the organisation has continued to draw the attention of authorities to the menace in search of a lasting solution.

Ajayi cited historical instances of sabotage, including the removal of the late Chief Bola Ige from the Ministry of Power despite his efforts to ensure stable electricity supply.

He also questioned the repeated failure of refinery turnaround maintenance projects and the continued deterioration of roads despite annual budgetary allocations.

On security spending, Afenifere expressed concern that despite massive yearly allocations to defence and security, insecurity continues to worsen, raising questions about the use of such funds.

Speaking specifically on banditry, Ajayi said the problem would have been resolved long ago but for the complicity of individuals meant to combat it.

He criticised some northern leaders who allegedly opposed military action against bandits and others who advocated negotiation instead of prosecution.

The group also condemned the practice of granting amnesty, pardons and incentives to terrorists, describing it as a major factor encouraging criminal activities.

Afenifere further alleged that frequent attacks in some communities are aimed at driving residents from their ancestral lands for territorial takeover.

It accused unscrupulous herders and foreign interests seeking access to land for grazing and illegal mining of playing roles in the violence, with collaborators found both within communities and in high places.

To address the crisis, Afenifere proposed several measures, including re-orientation programmes to promote the sanctity of life, de-radicalisation of indoctrinated youths, restructuring of the security architecture, monitoring of ungoverned spaces, improved training and welfare for security personnel, deployment of modern equipment, and the immediate establishment of state police.

Ajayi noted that while constitutional amendments are required for state police, the President could issue an executive order to decentralise existing police structures to state and community levels, manned by indigenes or residents, pending constitutional changes.

He also recalled recent remarks by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had approved expanded security deployments, enhanced intelligence coordination and more robust investigations into attacks on religious communities.
Ribadu had stated that Nigeria’s plural nature makes the protection of all citizens “non-negotiable,” describing such attacks as assaults on the Nigerian state.

Afenifere stressed that to realise these commitments, intelligence gathering must be strengthened, security agencies sanitised to remove saboteurs, and cabals dismantled.

The group also called on communities to identify and expel criminal collaborators, empower citizens economically, motivate security personnel and fast-track the restructuring of the country.