Guardian
Brazen invasion of the South by terrorist groups and incessant abductions on the highway both signpost the worsening trend of insecurity in the country. The concerned federal agencies have been less than spectacular in keeping Nigerians safe, fueling insinuations of official complicity in the business of terrorism. But despite collusion and bureaucratic barriers against self-help measures, this is the time for states to further close ranks, collectively jolt the Federal Government to its constitutional duties and reinforce regional security networks to flush out invaders from the South.
In a manner never heard of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, terrorists have lately turned the ever-busy stretch to a theatre of free abduction of all classes of Nigerians. In the last couple of weeks, they have brazenly halted traffic flow to steal, kill and kidnap motorists even in broad daylight. Such had been recorded at the Ibadan-end of the artery, the Sagamu-interchange in-between, and the Kara Bridge end in Lagos. Most recent kidnapped victims include the former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Adigun Agbaje, who was only released after ransom was paid to the kidnappers. Beyond that corridor, at least seven terrorist invaded Irele Ekiti-Oke Ayo Highway in Ekiti lately, hijacking travellers into the bush. Chilling experiences of survivors are in the public domain. They keep coming with specific mention of kidnappers in their numbers, some in military camouflages, daily execution of victims without ransom value and steady reign of terror in farms and forests in close proximity to villages.
Slowly but surely, terrorism has been building in the South and now nearing its climax. It was the same set of attackers that in June this year invaded St. Francis Catholic Church in Ondo State, killing about 40 worshippers on a black Sunday. There is no forgetting the myriad of kidnappings and killings in the Oke Ogun area of Oyo and Osun states. They invaded Igangan agrarian community in Ibarapa zone of Oyo State, killing about 30 persons and setting houses including the palace of Asigangan of Igangan town on fire. Armed invaders also stormed Idere in the same Ibarapa area of the state, with some residents claiming to have seen a helicopter dropping firearms to bandits in the forest. Not peculiar to the Southwest, Southeast has also been having its own worst nightmares of daylight abduction and mindless killings on Enugu-Port Harcourt highway among others.
Suffice to note that the Chairman of the Oyo State Amotekun Security corps, and an ex-General in the Army, Ajibola Togun, earlier warned that some foreign Fulani herdsmen and bandits of Tuareg extraction have perfected plans to invade communities in the Southwest, masquerading as commercial motorcyclists, pepper traders and carrot sellers. Togun raised the alarm that these are invaders from Mali, Guinea, Chad and other West Africa countries in the perfected act of killing and kidnapping. He had revealed that: “There would soon be a problem in the Southwest. These foreign Fulani herdsmen would soon come for the purpose of taking over Nigeria. This is because they (Fulani) have the backing of some people in government to take over Nigeria as a heritage that Allah has given them.” Sadly, his prediction is coming to pass.
