By Eric Elezuo

The Yoruba, have held a one-day Security Summit to decide the way forward as banditry, kidnappings and killings have been the order of the day in the region, and the country generally.

At the Summit, convened by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II,  and held in Ife Grand Resort, the stakeholders including the governors of the region, traditional rulers and more, took decisive decision to tackle the menace of security among which is combating the menace with traditional and natural powers.

The Summit also caution the traditional stool to maintain respect for the institution, support the administration of President Bola Tinubu among others.

Below are details of the Summit as presented in a communique:

BEING A COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AFTER A DAY YORUBA SECURITY SUMMIT HOSTED BY THE AROLE ODUDUWA & OONI OF IFE, OONI ADEYEYE ENITAN OGUNWUSI, CFR, OJAJA II AT THE IFE GRAND RESORT, ILE-IFE ON THURSDAY, 29th FEBRUARY, 2024

PREAMBLE:

Due to the recent upsurge in the killings, maiming and kidnappings in South West, Nigeria, the House of Oduduwa today, Thursday, 29th February 2024, held a Yoruba security summit at Ojaja Arena, Ife Grand Resort, Ile-Ife.

Two major themes were addressed:
i.Kidnapping and banditry, delivered by Dr. Solomon E. Arase (Ex Inspector General of Police).
ii.Yoruba Legacy of African Science: Overcoming the twin menace, delivered by Dr. (Chief) Ifayemi Elebuibon Osundagbonu.
The summit, which enjoyed the support of H.E. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria and under the chairmanship of Retired General Alani Akinrinade, CFR.

The Governor of Osun State was represented by his Deputy, Prince Kola Adewusi while the other five Governors of Ekiti, Ondo, Oyo, Lagos and Ogun States sent representatives.

The summit which was conveyed by the Arole Oduduwa & Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, CFR, Ojaja II, was a gathering of Traditional Rulers across Yoruba land.

The summit was attended by the Olowo of Owo Alayeluwa, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III, Osemawe of Ondo, Alayeluwa Oba Victor Kiladejo, the Deji of Akure, Owa Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti, Akarigbo of Remoland, Olowu of Owu,Abeokuta, Alayemore of Ido-Osun, Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Akire of Ikire-Ile and a host of other Yoruba traditional rulers.

The summit also featured presentations by; the Alara of Ara-Ekiti, Iba Gani Adams, the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Mr. Sunday Igboho and Mr. Akin Osuntokun and a host of others.

OBSERVATIONS

i.The security summit noted that there have been organized systematic attacks on Traditional Rulers and eminent sons and daughters of Yoruba land by suspected herders.
ii.The summit further noted that the herdsmen attacks have been largely responsible for food insecurity and food scarcity in the South West because of the organized attacks on farmers who, for fear of attacks, stay away from farmlands.

RESOLUTIONS

1.That Yoruba people should take full control of their forests, homelands and farmlands.

2.That the Amotekun corps should be strengthened in terms of;
i.Given recognition and to be transformed to the status of State Police;
ii.Motivation, finances, training and retraining of personnels and that those who are familiar with nooks and crannies of our forests should be recruited into the Amotekun.
iii.Provision of training grounds for its personnel.
iv.Provision of adequate budgetary allocations to the Amotekun corps.
v.The summit agreed that a department of Forest Amotekun corps be created

3.That the Yoruba, especially the traditional rulers should make recourse to their natural resources including natural powers to combat banditry and kidnapping; that Yoruba Obas should not jettison traditional values.

4.That government at all levels should recognize the roles of traditional rulers and factor them into the national security architecture.

5.That the entire Obas in Yorubaland should work in unison to ward off the evils of banditry and kidnappings as each of the states could only succeed in chasing the marauders to another state.

6.Traditional rulers are advised to uphold and value the custom and tradition of the land.

7.That each time an attack took place, the offenders were quickly left off the hook by the powers that be and that the judicial process should be strengthened to mete out appropriate punishments to culprits or bring them to justice.

8.That the Governors of South West Nigeria should organize Regional Security Summit at the earliest practicable time, including all stakeholders to chart the way forward and give teeth to all the concerns raised at this (current) summit.

9.The security summit called for strong support for the administration of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the larger interest of Yoruba race.

10.The security summit called on Yoruba Traditional rulers to return to the pristine Yoruba traditional, spiritual and cultural values. At all times, the traditional rulers should recognize that, in spite of whatever nature of religion they practice, they must recognize that the stool they preside over is traditional.

11.The summit called on Yoruba traditional rulers to take full possession of their forests, homelands and farmlands.

12.The summit called on Local, State and Federal Governments to employ use of drones and other appropriate technology for the effective surveillance of Yoruba forests and roads.

13. The summit agreed that the Yoruba security summit should be held quarterly basis so as to capture intervening and supervising variables in our polity.

14. We take due cognizance of the difficulties and challenges Nigeria is going through. We dare say that our son; Bola Tinubu whom it has pleased God to make the President of Nigeria is doing his level best to grapple with, and overcome the challenges. We appeal to our colleauges from all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria to cooperate and support him to make a success of his government.