Insecurity: My niece spent 5 days with kidnappers, we paid millions—Ibadan Catholic Archbishop

The Catholic Archbishop of Ibadan Archdiocese, Most Reverend Gabriel ‘Leke Abegunrin, has decried insecurity in Oke Ogun area of Oyo State and said time had come for the state government to increase security presence in the area.

Archbishop Abegunrin, who spoke while addressing a press conference after the plenary session of the Ibadan Provincial Catholic Bishops Conference at the Jubilee Conference Centre, Oke Ado, Ibadan, on Tuesday, said his family member was a victim of kidnapping and that his family paid millions of naira to secure the release of the victim.

Abegunrin said the kidnapped family was his niece and that she spent five days in captivity until they were able to secure her release after paying millions of naira ransom.

According to Abegunrin, reports he received from his native Iwere-Ile, headquarters of Iwajowa Local Government Area of Oyo State, were that a man was kidnapped and killed, and that his brother who went to retrieve his corpse was also killed.

“My niece who was coming from Ibadan was kidnapped. She spent about five days before she was rescued with millions of naira. I also know another man who was kidnapped like that from our village. One was kidnapped and killed, the brother went to pick his corpse they killed the brother again.

“They ran to town to go and call the soldiers who were at the checkpoint and the local security and the police, and they all went. They killed all those people, including the soldiers, the police and the local security. I was saying can government not do something about that—can’t the government do something about incessant killings like that in a small village like Iwere-Ile?

“I can only point at Oke Ogun because I hear a lot of news from there because I am from there. People are afraid, some people even wanted to stop their children from going to school because they are not safe. I think government should pay attention to that area. Many things are happening, and not only Oke Ogun.

“I think the governors should work hand in hand so that their hands can meet in creating security jointly so that the whole South West will be under protection. Our governors in the South West should work together really so that there will be no loopholes where these bandits can enter. I appeal for that.”

The Bishops denounced the resurgence of herdsmen attacks in the region and said they “must denounce the threat posed more recently by the resurgence of the menace of herdsmen attacks, kidnappings, robberies and other crimes in Yorubaland.”

In a communiqué by the Bishops of the Province and signed by their Chairman, Archbishop Abegunrin, and the Secretary, Most Reverend John Akin Oyejola, they called for efficient intelligence gathering, good remunerations and equipping of our security outfits and a determination to prosecute crime without favour as ways to curb the increasing crime in the region.

The Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, comprising Ibadan Archdiocese, Ilorin, Ondo Oyo, Ekiti and Osogbo Dioceses, noted that intelligence-gathering and other listed factors were “all necessary for the provision of security of life and property and must be pursued with single mindedness.”

Sam Nwaoko