"It Will Be Catastrophic": Tinubu, Others Warned Against Sunday Igboho, Others
- President Bola Tinubu and other southwest political leaders have been warned against giving arms to non-state actors like Sunday Igboho in the wake of insecurity in the region
- Binzak Azeez, a legal practitioner, gave the warning while speaking on the Oyo kidnapping incident, raising concerns over worsening insecurity in Nigeria's South West region
- The legal icon explained that arming non-state actors like Sunday Igboho to combat insecurity, while calling for the decentralisation of security and using resources for citizens, can help combat rising threats in Nigeria
President Bola Tinubu and other political leaders in the South West have been warned against arming the likes of Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, in their bid to fight the growing insecurity in the region, following the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Binzak Azeez, a legal practitioner, gave the warning in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, adding that the incident appeared to be the first of its kind in contemporary times. He noted that the incident should be carefully addressed so that it would not lead to that of the north, where powerful individuals are exploring the situation for their own gains.
Source: Twitter
He said:
"The kidnapping incident has shown the current wider and degenerating scope of insecurity in the country. The invasion of schools by the kidnappers/bandits is very strange in the South West. To the best of my knowledge, I think the Oyo State incident is the first school kidnapping case in the South West in contemporary times.
"If the Oyo kidnapping incident is not carefully addressed, the invasion of schools by kidnappers/bandits would become a new norm in the South West, as it appears in Northern Nigeria, where insecurity ravaging the zone serves so many interests of the powerful individuals.
"In tackling the Oyo kidnapping incident, it will be catastrophic for the government to arm the likes of Mr Sunday Igboho and many other individuals who have demanded arms and ammunition with the promise to effectively combat the rising kidnapping incidents in the South West. It is so shameful and disappointing that the government, which controls the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Police, amongst other national security agencies, would consider delegating the fight against insecurity to non-state actors."
Oyo kidnapping: How to engage private citizens
The legal practitioner expressed confidence that private citizens can help in intelligence gathering, while noting that giving arms to them in the guise of fighting insecurity could undermine the efforts of the security agencies and that the arms could easily be converted for illegal uses.
He explained:
"I strongly believe that private citizens could assist the law enforcement agencies with the gathering of intelligence to combat insecurity. Giving arms to citizens randomly under the guise of fighting insecurity will further undermine and worsen the current spate of insecurity, as the arms can easily be converted for illegal purposes. Besides the conversion, the non-state actors may derail from the core objectives and begin to work towards sustaining and prolonging the insecurity for them to keep their jobs and continue to benefit from the insecurity.
"I am of the view that the pupils and teachers must be rescued at all costs, even at the detriment of heavy compromises unknown to the public. However, the culture of government partaking in ransom, peaceful dialogue, deradicalization/reorientation with kidnappers must not be embraced by South West political leaders. In addition, the polarisation of weapons amongst different state-sponsored private groups and individuals under the guise of fighting against the insurgency and insecurity in the North must not be tolerated in the South West.
"The constitutional decentralisation of security architecture in the country and the judicious use of national/state resources for the benefit of the common man are the two factors that could curtail the current spate of insecurity. The country is filled with hopeless able-bodied men who are desperate for survival by engaging in criminality, or young people being recruited to serve criminal purposes for wealthy and influential individuals."
Source: Twitter
Peter Obi speaks on Oyo kidnapping
Legit.ng earlier reported that Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate in the 2027 general election, has condemned the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State.
Obi, who was the former governor of Anambra State, begged for the release of the children from captivity in the name of humanity.
The 2027 presidential hopeful decried the state of insecurity in the country, and his statement has started generating reactions from Nigerians.
Source: Legit.ng
