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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Conflict & Security

Insecurity: Yoruba Elders Launch Fundraising, Promise Security Turnaround in 60 Days

From ThisDay · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Yoruba elders have launched a fundraising campaign to support security efforts against banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism across 10 states.
  • The initiative aims to acquire security equipment, including surveillance drones, to enhance intelligence gathering and response operations.
  • The Council of Yoruba Elders expressed confidence that their proposed security plan can significantly reduce insecurity within 60 days if adequately resourced, criticizing the political leaders' inadequate response.

The Council of Yoruba Elders (CYE) has initiated a fundraising campaign to bolster security efforts against rising banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism impacting communities across 10 Nigerian states. The campaign seeks to provide essential resources, including advanced security equipment and operational tools, to strengthen the fight against criminal activities threatening the Yoruba-speaking regions.

Dr. Victor Taiwo, the Secretary-General of the CYE, revealed the initiative in Ibadan, appealing for support from wealthy Yoruba individuals and other Nigerians. Funds raised will be used to procure vital equipment such as surveillance drones and other gadgets to improve intelligence gathering and response capabilities. Taiwo expressed strong confidence that the proposed security intervention, once funded, could drastically curb banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism within a short timeframe.

We have identified a solution that can stop banditry, kidnapping and terrorism, but we are not prepared to disclose it at this stage. What we need now are the necessary resources.

— Dr. Victor TaiwoExplaining the council's readiness to tackle insecurity and their immediate need for funding.

Taiwo stated that the council has identified a solution to the escalating insecurity but is currently focused on securing the necessary resources for its implementation. He believes the plan can yield significant results within 60 days of full deployment. The intervention is slated to cover states including Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Lagos, Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara, Kogi, Edo, and Delta. The CYE leader lamented that previous warnings about the expansion of criminal activities into the Southwest had not been adequately addressed, asserting that the Yoruba people would not passively accept perceived threats.

The council has already begun receiving contributions and urges more individuals to support the cause. Taiwo alleged that numerous communities have suffered from insecurity, citing the deaths of 17 traditional rulers in Kwara State and residents abandoning their homes due to fear. The CYE warned that armed groups are encroaching on Yoruba communities, emphasizing the urgent need for action to prevent further deterioration and to secure the release of captives. The elders also criticized political leaders for their insufficient response to the worsening security situation, calling for greater commitment.

We will resist with all the resources available to us.

— Dr. Victor TaiwoAsserting the Yoruba people's determination to confront security threats.
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Originally published by ThisDay. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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