Yoruba socio-cultural group, the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), has encouraged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to forge a Nigerian and international collaboration to eliminate the terrorism, kidnapping and killings inflicted on the country by non-state actors.
OPC spoke in the light of US President Donald Trump threatening to send in American forces to finish off Islamist terrorists and jihadists killing citizens in large segments of Nigeria.
In its statement signed by its
Secretary-General, Comrade Olubunmi Fasehun, the group said: The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) wishes to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the peace, unity, and security of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It stated that at this critical moment in our nation’s history, when terrorism, banditry and kidnapping continue to threaten our communities, “we believe that proactive collaboration among stakeholders is more crucial than ever, be they local or foreign.
“In the light of the offer by US President Donald Trump to send in the American contingent to help wipe out terrorism, which is fast making Nigeria a dangerous space, we urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to tap into the advantages of such a collaboration against evil non-state actors who have stretched the patriotic troops of our country’s Military to the limit.
Additionally, OPC urged the Federal Government to task the US and other developed nations to freeze the assets of terrorism financiers in Nigeria and anywhere in the world.
Fasehun expressed OPC’s willingness to contribute their quota to confront, defeat and expunge these terrorists from Yorubaland and indeed the entire country.
“Over the past decades, OPC has demonstrated its deep presence at the grassroots level, especially across the Yoruba space in the South-West, Kogi, Kwara, Edo and Delta states. Our members live within the communities, markets, border towns, and rural corridors where vital intelligence can be gathered. We therefore recognize that our organization is uniquely positioned to support the efforts of security agencies in preventing, detecting and reporting threats before they escalate.”
Areas of possible collaboration, according to OPC, include partnership with security agencies, community- based intelligence gathering, rapid communication channels,joint community sensitization, peaceful and lawful operations and non-vigilantism, but structured community security support.
“We also urge the Federal Government to take bold steps in confronting powerful individuals and networks long perceived as “untouchable” — those who benefit from or enable terrorism, banditry and ethnic religious killings. The security of citizens must come before politics.
“Based on the hotly-debated international offer, Nigeria now has a strategic opportunity to dismantle these entrenched structures of violence. We encourage the government to seize this moment with courage and transparency, using lawful intelligence-driven action and international cooperation where necessary.”
