Aftermath of Terrorists attacks in Oyo communities
The Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Engineer Abimbola Akeem Owoade 1, has reiterated his call on the Federal Government to take holistic view on intelligence gathering and native intelligence mechanisms as a system for addressing insecurity, just as there is the urgent need to deploy technologies required for identification of criminal suspects.
He urged the government to abandon reactive approaches to insecurity, and this will mean making credible investments in intelligence capabilities that pinpoint threats ever before they materialise, hardening soft targets like schools and communities, and cutting off the financial and logistical networks that sustain criminal groups, as it also means working with communities to build trust and gather intelligence rather than treating them as collateral damage in airstrikes.
Alaafin gave the advice through his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, following terrorists attacks and abduction in four villages that are Oyo homesteads.
The villages are Ahoro- Esinele, Alawusa, Yawota and Oniya located within the Oriire Local Government of the State.
The Bandits attacked the Esinele School last Friday, as two individuals were killed, a car burnt, and forty two pupils and a teacher matched into the Old Oyo National Park Forest.
These pupils were abducted from the four villages.
Oba Owoade said abductions wanton destruction of lives by terrorists have not only reached an intolerable level, Nigerians are becoming more apprehensive and
worried about the state of insecurity, especially flagrant disregard for human lives.
The country, he stated, "is going through serious security challenges and what is more disturbing is that these blood guzzlers cannot have such sophisticated and destructive weapons to terrorise without receiving backings of some allied somewhere.
" Threats to human lives are not only serious acts of terrorism but
indeed an abomination. This is why well meaning Nigerians and
good friends of the country must see the current war against dreaded
terrorists as a welcomed development and give total support, in order to save the country from the siege of terrorism’’.
""Citizens are fast losing trust in their government's ability to protect them, and inter-communal trust breaks down. The constant threat of violence, kidnapping, and attacks leaves a generation of citizens with lasting psychological trauma, anxiety, and mental health . Insecurity directly threatens the political integrity and governance of a nation.
" The ultimate solution is more political than it is military. Government, political leaders and followers, and all of us, must have the courage and honesty to get to the root causes of our current state of insecurity, underpinned by criminality and insurgency"".
"The most tragic consequence is the loss of human lives and the mass displacement of populations, creating an internally displaced persons (IDP) crisis and tearing families apart"", the Paramount Ruler stated.
While pointing out that it is high time for the Federal Government to carry out a total overhaul of the country's security architecture, Oba Owoade lauded President Bola Tinubu's demonstration, through actions, that ending insecurity is one of his administration’s foremost concerns.
Oba Owoade commiserated with the families of the attacks, and gave an assurance that government is on top of the situation, as perpetrators would be brought to justice.
Meanwhile , a combined team of the Police and local security operatives have been deployed to the affected villages and forest , while the Alaafin has donated some amount of money to complement government efforts in apprehending the terrorists.
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