The siege of kidnappers

LAST week, Nigerians were thrown into mourning as killer herders cut down two traditional rulers in Ekiti State. The traditional rulers, who were said to be returning from a meeting in Irele-Ekiti when they were ambushed, were identified as Oba David Ogunsakin, the Elesun of Esun-Ekiti, and Oba Olatunde Olusola, the Onimojo of Omojola-Ekiti. Oba Adebayo Fatoba, the Alara of Ara-Ekiti, survived the ambush. The distraught widow of the Elesun, Mrs Yetunde Ogunsakin, told a heartbreaking story about the last moments of her husband. The oba, according to her, had informed her that he was hungry and wanted her to prepare a meal for him before he arrived at the palace. The killers also abducted pupils and teachers of Apostolic Group of Schools in Emure Ekiti, Ekiti State, killing the driver and burning his corpse in the forest for failure to supply contacts who could be reached for the purpose of ransom payment. And in yet another dastardly development, the terrorists murdered the Olukoro of Koro Kingdom in Ekiti Local Council of Kwara State, Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, and abducted his wife and a little girl. Narrating his ordeal the, Alara of Ara–Ekiti, Oba Fatoba, said he and his slain colleagues had been engaged in deliberations over incessant attacks on farmers by Fulani herdsmen and were returning from a meeting when the herders opened fire on them.

Fortunately, however, security agencies stepped up their game this time around. A joint operation by the police, the military, Department of State Services (DSS) and vigilantes and hunters led to the rescue of the abducted wife of the late Oba Aremu-Cole and the little girl abducted with her. The operatives also arrested 13 suspects at hideouts in a forest. Spokesman for the Kwara State Police command, Ejire-Adeyemi Toun, said: “The IGP approved the deployment of a police chopper for aerial surveillance to help comb the forest/boundary between Kwara and Ekiti states. Also arrested was the person who wanted to receive the ransom for the kidnappers. The Olori (queen) has since been reunited with her family, hale and hearty.” Also, the alleged leader of a kidnap syndicate terrorising Ekiti, Kogi and Kwara states, one Pa Oyebanji Olowofela, was arrested after Baboga Alhaji, one of the killers of the two Ekiti traditional rulers, was apprehended. Olowofela, who is reportedly based in Igbara Odo, Ekiti State, and has a chain of businesses, was arrested when a combined team of security operatives from Kwara State stormed his residence in Ijowa Ekiti. However, in a statement signed by its secretary, Ayo Adekoya-Benson, a community association, the Igbaraodo Development Council, cautioned against “framing” Olowofela as the mastermind of kidnapping and killings in Ekiti State.

In the same vein, following a joint operation involving police operatives, hunters, members of Agbekoya group, vigilantes and Amotekun Corps and spanning Emure-Ekiti Forest, Ise/Ogbese Forest and Emure-Ile Forest in Ondo State, eight suspects were arrested over the murder of the Ekiti traditional rulers and the kidnapping of pupils in Ekiti State. Spokesperson for the state police command, Sunday Abutu, identified the suspects as Yaya Sumaila, Idrisu Abubakar, Hassan Abudullahi, Abudullahi Abudullahi, Haruna Abubakar, Usman Abudullahi, Haruna Sule, and one Babusa Alhaji Lede who was arrested inside Ayedun/ Ayebode Ekiti forest in Ikole Area of the state. He said: “The suspects are currently undergoing investigation and are giving credible information that could lead to the arrest of other fleeing suspects that perpetrated the dastardly acts.” Abutu listed items recovered from the suspects to include one cow, three cutlasses, one axe, one dagger and food items.

To say the least, the activities of the killer herders amounts to a declaration of war on innocent Nigerians and their communities. Following the latest incidents, the affected state governments promised to track down the perpetrators and it is cheering that suspects have been arrested. Yet, the fact remains that  Nigeria’s security architecture needs to be decentralised for optimal results. In the current terrorism cases, it is instructive that sociocultural organisations such as Agbekoya and the regional outfit, Amotekun, played pivotal roles in apprehending the terrorists involved in the current bloodbaths. That is a pointer to the potential benefits of a decentralised security setup. Nigeria is too ethnically, linguistically, culturally and geographically large and diverse to be secured by a centralised policing system. The Federal Government, the 36 state governments and the national and state legislators have to take the issue of decentralising Nigeria’s security arrangement very seriously and begin working to actualise it. They should also ensure that anti-grazing laws are enforced diligently.

In the meantime, the police and other security agencies should re-engineer their intelligence gathering mechanisms and ensure that they anticipate and stop the terrorists in their tracks. They should also ensure diligent prosecution of suspects regardless of their social status. On their parts, traditional rulers, community leaders and youth organisations must rise up and revive the old security machinery in the local communities. Not doing so will mean a continuation of bloodshed by terrorists.