News
‘Community Policing, Panacea To Nation’s Insecurity’
A public affairs analyst, Dr Olatunde Amusat, has called on security agencies to adopt local solution to the myriads of security challenges facing the country.
He made the call last Wednesday in Ibadan during the maiden memorial lecture in honour of late federal lawmaker, Temitope Olatoye, who represented Lagelu/Akinyele Constituency in the House of Representatives.
Our correspondent recalled that the late Olatoye, popularly known as ‘Sugar’ was assassinated on Saturday, March 9 at Lalupon area of Ibadan during the governorship and House of Assembly elections.
The lecture, attended by political associates, politicians, friends, beneficiaries and family members of the deceased, was part of activities lined up for the burial of the late Olatoye.
Amusat in his lecture entitled,‘ ‘Sugar’s Death and the Challenges of Leadership Recruitment Process: Matters Arising’ noted that crime was local and could be tackled with local solutions.
He noted that one of the reasons fighting crimes had not been effective in the communities was the obvious denial of the role and impact of community policing.
The public analyst said that community policing allowed people who understood the local environment to participate and take charge of the security responsibilities.
Amusat wondered why Olatoye was killed at the same axis where some notable Nigerians including the former Head of State, Gen Agunyi Ironsi and Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, were killed.
“Lalupon is beginning to gain notoriety, with due respect, as an axis of death. When you interrogate history, this was the same place some notable Nigerians were killed.
“A visiting military head of state in the person of late Gen. Agunyi Ironsi and his host, late Col Adekunle Fajuyi, were both taken into the bush in Lalupon axis and shot.
“And when you do thorough profiling of series of assassinations that have occurred along that axis, you will begin to have a rethink of why Lalupon.
“In my presentation, I must have said why Lalupon more than ten times. Why Lalupon is instructive and very important.
“It is important to the extent that a few years ago, a serving federal legislator was hacked down in the Lalupon axis, just three months into his tenure.
“And years after, another serving federal lawmaker in the person of late Olatoye’s convoy was ambushed and brutally murdered three months to the expiration of his four-year mandate,” he said.
“As an academic, I am trying to interrogate and see whether there is a cosmic nexus that could be established between the two. The question still remains…Lalupon again and why Lalupon,’’ he said.
He stressed the need for community policing as a way of tackling the series of killings in various places across the country.
Amusat said that Nigerians had for decades lived in denial as a people, saying it was difficult for an Igbo-born security agent to be appointed a DPO in Ibadan and function effectively on a strange terrain.
“Community policing is the way out and some people are shy about the issue. I think we are sitting on a keg of gun powder.
“ I am not an alarmist and I am not pressing the panic button, but those people in the position of authority should be alive to their responsibilities,’’ he said.
He narrated his recent ordeal in the hands of kidnappers, adding he was abducted for six days which was exactly 143 hours and 30 minutes.
“I should know because I was a victim of kidnap. I was with my abductors for six days, exactly 143 hours 30 minutes and I wrote an article to narrate my ordeal.
“These people didn’t know me, they knew nothing about me. I was just kidnapped. If care is not taken, the migration from the Sahel is moving gradually into the Southwest and something must be done.
“ I feel we should organize and stop agonising and the time to do that is now. Now to the extents that delay is dangerous. Nigeria can be re-invented.
“Nigeria is not beyond redemption but for it to be reinvented, it has to be re-negotiated,’’ he said.
Mr Dotun Olatoye, the youngest brother of the deceased who spoke on behalf of the family, said the occasion was not to weep, but to celebrate the life and impact of the deceased on people around him.
He described his late brother as an ‘accidental selfless public service holder’ who gave his best to empower people around him.
NAN reports that a lying-in- state c
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.
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