Declare state of emergency on rising youth crime rate, Afenifere urges FG, states

The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, US chapter, has called on the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration and the 36 state governors to, as a matter of urgency, declare state of emergency on alarming rate at which youths are turning into crimes as a new way of life.

The socio- political group made the call in a statement issued by its president, Dr. Akindutire Durojaiye, copy of which was made available to newsmen on Thursday, saying that the increased incidents of armed robbery, kidnapping, drug abuse, and ritual killings for pecuniary reasons being witnessed in the country currently had become a cause for worry.

The group stressed that it would not fold its hands and watch some undesirable elements in society in pursuit of an ostentatious lifestyle mislead youths to self-destruct, expressing the belief that “if the Southwest becomes uncomfortable for these criminals, other state governors would follow suit and subsequently paralyze their nefarious activities across the states and possibly run them out of the country for good.”

“We acknowledge that things are hard for the generality of the people due to the economic downturn of the country. Also, the poor economic situation and broken value system are some of the factors responsible for this malaise.

“We call on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on this problem before it degenerates or becomes our new normal!

“Currently, the perpetrators are becoming emboldened and more daring in their evil acts as they flaunt the proceeds of their crimes without fear of being questioned! This is evident in the lavish display of their inexplicable wealth and ostentatious lifestyles at social gatherings, including on campuses of tertiary institutions and on social media.

“Now with Christmas festivities and New Year celebrations fast approaching, the quest for money increases, and so is the temptation for crime. Therefore, we call on the Southwest state governors to liaise with the Federal Government to deploy the state security architecture during this period and after.

“As a group, we in Afenifere will not fold our hands and watch some undesirable elements in our society in pursuit of an ostentatious lifestyle mislead our youths to self-destruct.

“We believe if the Southwest becomes uncomfortable for these criminals, other state governors would follow suit and subsequently paralyze their nefarious activities across the states and possibly run them out of the country for good!” Afenifere said in the statement.

Besides, the socio- political group equally called on all the religious leaders to tell their clergy to start admonishing their congregants to shun ostentatious and questionable lifestyles, saying that religious leaders should also use their sermons and messages to encourage parents to return to teaching their children and wards family values, including morals, integrity, moderation, hard work, and contentment.

According to the group,if children and wards are encouraged to imbibe these virtues, their minds would no doubt be reshaped to focus on legitimate activities and means of livelihood instead of crimes.

“Because we know this effort cannot be done by the government alone, we are extending this clarification call to all our religious leaders and hope they will tell their clergy to start admonishing their congregants to shun ostentatious and questionable lifestyles.

“We specifically want to appeal to our religious leaders to use their sermons and messages to encourage parents to return to teaching their children and wards family values, including morals, integrity, moderation, hard work, and contentment. No doubt, if our children and wards are encouraged to imbibe these virtues, their minds will be reshaped to focus on legitimate activities and means of livelihood instead of crimes.

“We are mindful of the Federal Government’s ban on spraying of money in public, which is a welcome development and a right step in the right direction, and we commend them for this.

“But as we prepare for the Yuletide season, we appeal to the police to beef up security in society for safe travel, commuting, and gathering.

“More importantly, we call on the National Orientation Agency of Nigeria to organize a series of awareness campaigns against drug abuse, ritual killings, and get-rich-quick schemes to discourage the perpetrators or potential criminals. These campaigns should run constantly on print, electronic, and social media for effectiveness,” the socio- political group counselled.