Afenifere breaks silence on murder of Ondo monarch

President Muhammadu Buhari

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Yoruba Socio-Cultural group, Afenifere has broken its silence on Thursday’s brutal murder of the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Israel Adeusi, in Ondo State by gunmen, saying it is time for President Muhammadu Buhari to get up and secure Nigeria.

Oba Adeusi was brutally murdered on Thursday by suspected gunmen in Ondo State. He was a first class traditional ruler.

Afenifere in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, said the shrinking of the governable and secured space in Nigeria shrank further on Thursday with the brutal murder of a first-class traditional ruler in Ondo state, the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Israel Adeusi.

The monarch was reportedly kidnapped before he was brutally murdered.

The Afenifere said this gruesome murder was coming as Afenifere was still smarting from the brutal murder of the daughter of Afenifere leader, Funke Olakunrin for which some Fulani herdsmen were currently on trial.

Afenifere stated that there had been other multiple murders across Yorubaland which the police had not been able to resolve and that it had reached a point that only very prominent killings get reported in this state of total insecurity in a failed state.

“The killing of any citizen worries us, how much more a first-class monarch. We ask the police to fish out the killers of Olufon as it is one murder too many and absolute failure and lack of competence by the security system in Nigeria to secure lives and property which is the first duty of any responsible government.

“We are fed up with the daily sucking of the blood of our people across Nigeria in the apparent festering of insecurity which now has a very conducive atmosphere in Nigeria,” it said.

Afenifere condoled with the Oba’s family, the people of Ifon town, Ondo State, and the Yoruba nation on this abominable killing.

“To President Buhari, it’s a time to get up and secure Nigeria and allow a federal architecture that promotes homeland security. Being the commander-in-chief can’t be a title with no responsibility,” the body added.

According to Afenifere, the total collapse of single policing to keep Nigeria safe is the urgent need to allow multi-level policing now.

It added that the total collapse of infrastructure in Nigeria reflected in the report that the Oba was abducted by the killers as the vehicle had to slow down in a bad portion of the road.