Odumakin Reveals What’s Fueling Killings By Bandits In Nigeria

Joe Okei-Odumakin, a human right activist has condemned the means at which firearms are acquired in this country, she stated that it is fueling the killings by armed bandits.

The human right activist stated that uncontrolled firearms in circulation were responsible for the killings and security situation in Nigeria.

Odumakin stated this in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, at the first Comrade Bunmi Ojo Memorial Lecture.

Recall that the Personal Assistant to former Governor Segun Oni, Ojo, was shot dead a year ago at a football viewing centre in Adebayo area of Ado Ekiti by assailants.

Delivering the lecture entitled: “The tragedy of the murder of Comrade Bunmi Ojo: Implications for youth development and national security”, Odumakin who was represented at the event by the General Secretary of the Campaign for Democracy (CD), Ifeanyi Odili , also attributed unwarranted killings in the country to poor policing system”.

According to her, “Another cause of his death is majorly traceable to poor policing in Nigeria because Nigeria is far below the United Nation’s standard of policing. We find ourselves in this critical security mess in Nigeria”.

“Soon after the exit of the military and eventual return to democracy, firearms became a common commodity. People became so free to move around with guns, AK47, AK49, pump-action unlicenced.”

“This catastrophe that befell Bunmi Ojo will continue to skyrocket in Nigeria until our leaders sit together, speak to each other from their subconscious and inner reassesses of their minds, with a view to outlaw the arbitrary use of guns before,during and after political campaigns. In fact, it is worthwhile to phase it out, outrightly in our polity. In military era, you dare not carry kitchen-knife outside your homes how much more guns flying around the country”.

While identifying intolerance as one of the major obstacles to Nigeria’s nurturing democracy, she said, “Nigerians, particularly political class have demonstrated their inability to tolerate and accommodate one another religiously, politically, socially,and economically.”

Prof Dele Adetoye while speaking on the same topic noted that Nigeria’s distant and recent political and socio-economic history is replete with proactive and productive roles played by the youths in nation-building and socio-economic-political development of the Nigerian nation which late Ojo represented.

“Rather than engage profitable ventures, majority of Nigerian youth deploy their energies and competence to socio-economic vices such as cybercrime, money rituals, armed robbery, rape, drug abuse, political thuggery, cultism, yet political class and policymakers use them as political thugs and election riggers rather than prepare them to take over the leadership of this nation. The youths are now responding to incentives that do not reward hardworking,” he said.

Adetoye called on the federal government to work on security apparatus to protect Nigerians, he also revealed policy that would help prevent crime, detection and apprehension.

He said the government must also formulate appropriate policies geared towards reorientating the youth to become proactive and development friendly.