A group known as ‘Voice of Reason’ has commenced a move to engage in a meeting with traditional rulers, political leaders and notable leaders,as well as corporate bodies in Yorubaland to address insecurity that has become order of the day.
Penpushing reports that, the body made this clear in reaction to the Sunday massacre of hundreds of worshippers at the St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo State, lamenting that the entire community was devastated over the sad development.
The statement signed by Chairman of the concern group Otunba Olusola, pointed out that, the motive for the killing of innocent people who gathered to pray to and worship their God remains unfathomable, stressing that this has once again reopened discussions on the heightened insecurity in Nigeria.
‘Notice is hereby served that a meeting of all traditional rulers, political leaders, notable personalities and chieftains of corporate bodies in Yoruba land will be called very soon to discuss the security and future of Yoruba land’, Olusola emphasised.
‘It is simply disgusting and the Federal Government is hesitating to call the senseless killings and kidnappings across the country “terrorist attacks.” Terrorism is a premeditated act of violence to achieve a specific agenda. This attack has all the trappings of premeditated assault but the agenda in this case is not yet known’.
‘It is now obvious that the “culture of violence” is finally here. What happened in Owo is an act of terrorism and perhaps a baptism of terrorism in Yoruba land. We cannot remain unconcerned while mindless mass killers are on the loose. We don’t know where and when they will strike next. It therefore behoves every Yoruba man and woman to start taking keen interest in the security of their lives and property’.
‘In the light of the above, it is imperative to ask what our representatives in the Federal and State Executive Councils, Federal and State Legislative Councils are doing to ensure at least the security of our lives and property in Yoruba land. Or should we rather ask: do we have representatives at all in government?’, the statement emphasised
‘As usual, events prior to, during and immediately after the massacre in Owo show that all security operatives were completely invisible and utterly failed in their primary duty of protecting the worshippers’.
Penpushing also reports that, the body noted that, the state of insecurity in Nigeria is unquestionably linked to the failure of the constitution to allow state policing among other issues,lamenting that the state governments are powerless.
The body said the Amotekun that was set up by some state governments in the South West is not appropriately configured or properly equipped to tackle issues of this magnitude,stressing that it is now time for the Yoruba to put head together and strategise before further havoc in the land.
‘We in the Voice of Reason (VOR) believe it is now time to put our heads together and strategise. VOR will, as a matter of urgency, convene a meeting of all stakeholders in Yoruba land to discuss especially the security of our ancestral home’,the statement reads.
Penpushing reports that, the group in the statement expressed heartfelt condolences to the Ondo State Government, the families of the victims of this dastardly act of terrorism and the good people of Yoruba land in general for the irreparable loss.
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