A coalition of security groups consisting of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), the Hunters Association of Nigeria, Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Agbekoya and others have insisted that it will not allow the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway to be turned to another Abuja- Kaduna Expressway.

This was disclosed by the coordinator of the group Aare Gani Dams, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land during a meeting of the southwest security groups.

Aare Adams said “The situation along the road is worrisome and that is why we are having a joint security meeting of all stakeholders.

“The situation is now so bad that those traveling along that road no longer feels safe while playing on the road. The situation is worsened around the Kara bridge also known as the long bridge,” he said.

The Aare Ona Kakanfo added that ” We are not unaware of what the Oyo state government, led by Seyi Makinde, is doing by bringing in Amotekun officers but our role is to complement the efforts of other security agencies.”

The Yoruba leader added that ” Those who are interested in bringing to an end the state of insecurity are drawn from OPC, the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, the local hunters, the Oodua women group, and others. They called on me to intervene in the situation. Right now we now have a monthly meeting of all stakeholders and we are fine-tuning ways how to tackle the situation.

“The situation has become so bad. Every day we hear of one attack or the other. Travelers are attacked at will. Some of our women get raped during such attacks while the unlucky ones get kidnapped. We don’t want the situation to degenerate into what we are now witnessing on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway where some travelers get kidnapped daily and others get killed, ” he said.

Aare Adams also stated that “We are collating security reports and we intend to flush them out. We won’t fold our hands and allow any part of the Yoruba land to become a safe haven for criminals. There has been an abnormal surge in cases of kidnapping along that route.”

He raised alarm that “The situation is getting out of hand and I strongly believe that it is now time for all stakeholders to join in the fight to rescue the road from the grip of bandits. We urge the governors of Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos states to flush them out.

“We have our members from all the Local Government Areas in all the South-West states. The women’s wing also handles surveillance and intelligence gathering. They collate information and they will pass it on to all stakeholders, depending on the one that is most effective in that area,” he added.

Aare Adams also said “they are one of the critical groups because without information we cannot operate. Our women are everywhere where, particularly in the market place which is a convergence of people from all shades of life.

“As the Aare Onakakanfo, I will provide the much-needed leadership and direction for the collation. This is one of the reasons why the stakeholder’s engagement is held here. I will coordinate other local security hours, like the local hunters who are the oldest security outfit in the country. However, we intend to partner with the police and all other security agencies in the country,” he concluded. (Nigerian Tribune)

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