16022021 - Nigeria’s security architecture being re-jigged — SERVICE CHIEFS

10 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021
By Adesina Wahab
A
GROUP, the Yoruba
Appraisal Forum, YAF, has
urged President Muhammadu
Buhari and governors of the six
South-West states to integrate the
Western Nigeria Security
Network, popularly called
Amotekun, into the community
policing initiative of the Federal
Government, under the Nigeria
Police Force.
YAF stated that Amotekun
should urgently be reformed,
integrated and placed under the
supervision and control of the
Inspector General of Police to
check the excesses now
manifesting in its operations, in
the interest of peace and national
security.
The forum alleged that
Amotekun has been hijacked by
forces planning to destabilise the
South-West and the country at
large, stressing that the regional
security outfit needs to be
properly kept under security
watch by the police that is
constitutionally empowered to
secure all Nigerians.
:Vanguard
News
Why Amotekun should be
integrated into FG’s community
policing —Yoruba group
Bizwoman sues airline, IGP
over terrorism accusation
By Innocent Anaba
L
A G O S — A
businesswoman,
Mrs. Nneka Ogbonna, has
dragged Air Peace Limited
and the Inspector-General
of Police, IGP, before a
Lagos Federal High Court,
for calling her a terrorist,
hijacker, and breaching her
fundamental rights.
Other defendants in the
fundamental rights enforcement
suit are Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority, NCAA, Federal
Airports Authority of Nigeria,
FAAN, and Captain Horace
Millar-Jaja, a pilot with the airline.
Meanwhile, trial judge, Justice
Chuka Obiozor, will, today, begin
hearing in the suit.
The claimant is asking the
court to declare that Captain
Millar-Jaja violated her right to
dignity of human person as
guaranteed under Section 34(1)
of the 1999 Constitution and
Article 5 of the African Charter
on Human and Peoples Rights
and her right to freedom of
movement as guaranteed under
This was contained in a petition
signed by the group's National
Coordinator, Adeshina
Animashaun, sent to the
President and governors of the
six states in the region; the
Inspector General of Police and
the service chiefs.
YAF also copied the petition to
the National Security Adviser,
Major General Babagana
Moguno (rtd); Director General,
Department of State Services, Mr
Yusuf Bichi; Minister of Defence,
Major General Bashir Magashi
(rtd); Minister of Police Affairs,
Muhammad Dingyadi; and
Minister of Interior, Rauf
Aregbesola.
YAF said that Amotekun must
be thoroughly scrutinised and
monitored by the police high
command under the Inspector
General of Police.
It noted that under this
arrangement, the police high
command should be allowed to
supervise and oversee
Amotekun’s activities and
operations, especially since the
original rationale behind its
formation was to complement the
police in checking crime.
Section 41(1) of the 1999 Constitution
and Article 12(1)(2) of the
African Charter on Human and
Peoples Rights by initiating the
process for her unlawful and forceful
disembarkation from the Air
Peace flight 7210 from Lagos to
Warri on December 10, 2019,
which she said was contrary to
Regulations 17.40.3, 17.58.8 and
17.93.4 of Part 17 of the Nigerian
Civil Aviation Regulations, 2015.
She is further praying the court
to declare that NCAA and FAAN
violated her right to dignity of
human person as guaranteed
under Section 34 of the 1999
Constitution and Article 5 of the
African Charter on Human and
Peoples Rights, when two of its
male employees (Fatoyinbo with
AVSEC.ID Card No. 25870 and
Nze, Head of Crime and
Investigation) attempted to
forcefully and unlawfully remove
her from her seat inside Air Peace
flight 7210 from Lagos to Warri on
December 10, 2019 in violation
of the “same gender’ principle
enshrined in Regulation
15.8.3(a)(iii) of the Nigerian Civil
Aviation Regulations, 2015.
Oyo holds LG elections May 15
By Adeola Badru
IBADAN—OYO
State
Independent Electoral
Commission, OYSIEC, yesterday,
released guidelines and timetable
for election into the 33 local
councils of the state.
The polls will be held on May
15. The election activities started
yesterday with the publication of
notice. Chairmanship and
councillorship candidates are
expected to obtain their
nomination forms upon payment
of the nomination fees of
N250,000 and N100,000,
respectively.
Omisore rejoins APC, registers
with party
By Shina Abubakar
FORMER
Deputy
Governor of Osun State,
Senator Iyiola Omisore, has
officially joined the All
Progressives Congress, APC, and
has registered in the ongoing
party membership registration
and revalidation exercise.
This is coming 19 years after
he was impeached as deputy
governor by the Alliance for
Democracy-led administration in
2002.
Senator Omisore officially
registered with the APC at his
Moore Ward 6 polling unit 003,
Ife-East local government area
of the state.
Speaking at the registration
exercise, the state Deputy
Governor, Benedict Alabi,
described Omisore as a politician
with progressive tendencies.
:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058
VISIT—From left: Oyo State Gov, Seyi Makinde; Kebbi State Gov, Abubakar Bagudu; Kano State
Gov, Abdulahi Ganduje; Zamfara State Gov, Bello Matawalle, and Niger State Gov, Abubakar
Bello, during the Northern governors' visit to Gov Makinde, over the Shasha Market crisis, in
Ibadan, yesterday.
SHASHA, OYO CRISIS: IGP deploys 4
riot police squadrons, chopper
By Ola Ajayi
A BUJA—THE
Inspector-General of
Police, Mohammed Adamu, has
ordered immediate deployment of
four units of riot policemen to
address the violence in parts of
Oyo State.
The intervention and
stabilization forces also include
Force Intelligence Bureau
operatives and one surveillance
helicopter from the Police Air Wing
department.
Oyo State has been lately
wrapped by violence, including
the killings of farmers by
suspected herdsmen, abductions
and clashes between some
Hausa and Yoruba traders at
Shasha market.
Force Spokesman, CP Frank
Mba, in a statement, yesterday,
said the operatives would reclaim
the public space, reinforce
security and bolster public
confidence in the areas affected
• DIG Folawiyo to co-ordinate operations
• 3000 people displaced, as victims count
losses in Oyo
by the crisis.
He said: “The deployments,
consisting largely of intelligence
and operational assets of the
Force, include four units of the
Police Mobile Force, seasoned
operatives from the Force
Intelligence Bureau and one
operational/surveillance police
helicopter from the police Air-wing
department.
“The intervention force is being
coordinated by a Deputy
Inspector General of Police, David
Folawiyo, who is expected to
mobilize all relevant stakeholders
towards achieving the mandate
of the squad.”
The statement said the IG
assured that the force was
committed to the safety of the
lives and properties of the citizens
in the country and called on
residents of Oyo State and other
Nigerians to embrace peace and
cooperate with the police and the
security community “as they
redouble their efforts in ensuring
that sustainable peace and
security are restored to the
affected areas.”
3,000 people displaced as
victims count losses
Meanwhile, feuding parties in
the crisis that engulfed Shasha
area of Ibadan in Akinyele Local
Government area at the weekend
have started counting their losses
after normalcy returned to the
trouble spots.
Vanguard gathered that many
people died in the crisis which
started last Friday at the popular
market, while vehicles and shops
were burnt.
According to information
Some Yoruba monarchs, leaders
aid criminal herdsmen —Agbekoya
By Dapo Akinrefon
HE Agbekoya Farmers
TSociety, yesterday, expressed
worry that some traditional rulers
and leaders in the South-West
were aiding killer herdsmen in
perpetuating crimes in
Yorubaland.
It also claimed that lsikilu
Wakili, the notorious leader of the
criminal Fulani herdsmen, is still
in Kajola, under the protection of
a monarch.
A statement by its National
Publicity Secretary, Olatunji
Bandele, stated that President
General of the group,
Kamorudeen Okikiola, wondered
why traditional rulers in the
region would aid and abette killer
herdsmen in Yorubaland.
The statement read in part:
"The criminal Fulani herdsmen
and their leader, Isikilu Wakili,
whom Agbekoya security men
have been on their trail since last
week, have been found in their
hideout in Kajola, via Ayete, in
lbarapa area of Oyo State. We
have confirmed that lsikilu Wakili
the notorious leader of the
criminal Fulani herdsmen is still
in Kajola via Ayete under the
protection of his landlord Chief
Odomofin of Ayete and its
traditional ruler in Ayete.
"lsikilu Wakili, the notorious
leader of the criminal Fulani
herdsmen, who was widely
reported in the news that he had
fled from Kajola village via Ayete
in lbarapa area of Oyo State is
still in that village with his criminal
herdsmen terrorizing farmers and
innocent citizens in Kajola village
via Ayete.
The traditional ruler of
Ayete,Oba Asawo of Ayete and
Chief Alafua of Ayete confirmed
that lsikilu Wakili is still in Kajola
village via Ayete and that there
is little they could do because
they are not his landlord and that
Chief Odomofin of Ayete is his
landlord. Chief Alafua of Ayete,
who is also the Chairman of Police
community relations committee
of Ayete disclosed that Isikilu
Wakili is still terrorizing the
farmers and innocent people of
Kajola village where he had been
living for over 10 years. We have
it on good authority that nobody
dared challenge him even if his
cattle destroyed their farms.
Wakili was formerly under the
Seriki Saliu who had relocated to
Kwara State after he was
confronted and eventually
evicted by the Yoruba human
rights activist, Chief Sunday
Adeyemo lgboho, but today he
has taken over as the kingpin of
criminal Fulani herdsmen in
Kajola village.
"Our people have abandoned
their homes in Kajola village and
farmers have also left their farms
for fear of lsikilu Wakili and his
criminal Fulani herdsmen, who
attack or lay ambush for them.
There are no security agents in
Kajola village that can protect the
people.
"Arrangements have initially
been concluded with the
traditional ruler of Ayete to arrest
Wakili and a peace meeting
arranged for Tuesday with the
Yoruba and Fulani community but
was later turned down with the
excuse that they have left
everything for Governor Seyi
Makinde to handle."
gathered, some people are still
missing, with leaders of the parties
in the crisis leading the search
teams.
One of the market leaders,
Ciroma, told Vanguard that they
buried ''some of our people on
Sunday.''
Ciroma whose voice was hoarse
as a result of the trauma, said:
"Yes, it is true some of our people
were buried on Sunday. Even
now, we are still looking for
others."
He faulted the report of a certain
special adviser to Governor Seyi
Makinde on the crisis saying it
didn't reflect what actually
happened.
Vanguard also gathered that no
fewer than 3,000 people were
displaced and are now taking
shelter with their people in other
parts of the city.
Also, a man from the other side
of the crisis who did not identify
himself said some of their people
were killed during the crisis.
"Do you know that we lost one
popular man Adex, and others
whose whereabouts we don't
know as of now. Almost all our
shops have been burnt by
arsonists. We cannot estimate
what we have lost to the crisis.
Those who sustained injuries
cannot yet be determined until
the tension is over."
A reliable source told Vanguard
that some people were being
escorted out of the trouble spots
by security agents to Moniya area
of the city while some reportedly
relocated to Mokola area of the
city.
Meanwhile, peace has
returned to the market. Unlike
Friday and Saturday when both
human and vehicular traffic were
paralysed, some trucks loaded
with tubers of yams were seen
coming from Shasha- Ojoo end
of the road to Sango.
However, some truck drivers
who were afraid of being caught
up in the crisis sold their
tomatoes at give away prices
before getting to the market and
headed back to Ilorin-
Ogbomosho road.