•Lauds Governor
By Omeiza Ajayi
A Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC in Kwara South, Comrade Abdul-Rahoof Bello-Labelabe, has berated federal lawmakers representing the zone over what he described as their “failure to rise to the occasion” in partnering with the state government to tackle the worsening insecurity in Igbomina land.
Labelabe, a retired Political Science lecturer and advocate of Igbomina liberty and Northern Yoruba nationality, spoke on a Channels Television breakfast show monitored on Friday in Abuja.
He dismissed as “too little, too late” the recent resolution of the Senate on the security crisis in Kwara South, accusing elected representatives of abandoning their people in their time of need.
“For the past three months, bandits have been terrorizing communities. People were killed, homes deserted and farmers chased from their lands, yet we did not see our Senators or Members of the House of Representatives. They didn’t even visit the affected areas. Now they are passing a resolution. It is like shutting the door when the horse has already bolted,” he fumed.
The APC chieftain, however, commended the Kwara State Government for engaging the National Security Adviser NSA and mobilizing troops from the Second Mechanized Brigade in Ibadan to flashpoints in Oke-Ode, Babanla, Oreke and other parts of Igbomina.
On the way forward, Labelabe called for a fundamental restructuring of Nigeria’s security architecture. He accused the military of disregarding the National Security Adviser “because he is a police officer,” urging President Bola Tinubu to take decisive steps to end the unhealthy rivalry.
“The president as commander-in-chief must look critically at this problem. The state governments must also be empowered to establish their own police or community policing, while local governments should enjoy full autonomy to manage grassroots security,” he said.
He also demanded that traditional rulers be held accountable for security breaches in their domains, warning that some had become collaborators with bandits. In addition, he urged state governments to deploy CCTV surveillance across vulnerable areas, strengthen vigilance groups and equip security personnel with superior weapons to match the firepower of bandits.
Labelabe further advocated collaboration between Kwara and the Southwest Security Network (Amotekun). “The Southwest seems to be the only safe zone now. Why can’t we collaborate with them? If Sunday Igboho and Gani Adams of OPC can help us fight insecurity, why not?” he asked.
When pressed on whether politicians were partly to blame for the crisis, he replied bluntly: “I think it is yes.”
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