Why South-West Governors Are Scared Of Taking Action Against Herdsmen - Afenifere

Posted by Thandiubani on Thu 19th Dec, 2019 - tori.ng

Afenifere has challenged South-West governors for failing to take serious action against killer herdsmen in the region.

South West Governors

Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Tuesday revealed the reason why South-West governors are reluctant about tackling insecurity challenges in the region.

The group said the reason is because of party allegiance and fear of offending leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking with Daily Independent, Yinka Odumakin, the organisation’s National Publicity Secretary, said there will not be solution to insecurity challenges in the region unless there is autonomy through restructuring.

“For the governors, we understand that party allegiance is a problem for them. If they take any firm action against the herdsmen, they will be offending their party leaders.

“I know the difficulty around that. When the Inspector General of Police (IGP) came to South-West to organise a security summit, and at the end of the summit, they made our governors to sign a communiqué that OPC and Miyetti Allah will jointly work together to patrol and secure South-West.

“You are asking the cause of the problem to go and proffer solution to it because we are under their binds. So, there is no solution to this issue until we get autonomy.

“The Nigeria structure is one that encourages these kind of things and until we bring down the structure that brings every power in the hands of Abuja, our lives are not going to be secured”, he said.

Daily Independent had earlier reported that that South- West governors, especially those elected on the platform of the APC, are not on the same page with Iba Gani Adams, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, on finding a lasting solution to the insecurity challenges rocking the region.

Out of the six governors in the region, only Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has shown some measure of support for the Aare Ona Kakanfo’s plans to rid the South- West of banditry, kidnapping, and other vices.