Tag: Afenifere

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has raised alarm over the growing number of violent attacks across the South-West, calling on federal and state governments to urgently step up action against bandits and criminal gangs. In a statement released on Saturday, the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, expressed deep concern about the increasing loss of lives in several states in the region. Ajayi also decried the brutal manner in which kidnapping victims are being treated, saying abductees are often subjected to severe beatings and degrading conditions while in captivity. He cited several troubling incidents reported in different parts of the South-West, including attacks on churches, police stations, homes and major highways in Ondo State. He also mentioned communities reportedly overrun by criminals in Kwara State, the killing of farmers and attacks on travellers along the Igbeti–Kisi road in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, as well as violent kidnappings in Ekiti State where some victims were murdered and their bodies held while ransom was demanded. Describing the ransom demands made by some kidnappers, Ajayi said: “The greatest demonstration of the heartlessness of these evil-doers was their demands of N1.5 million, Indian hemp, cocaine, a synthetic drug known as ICE, and cartons of canned beer for the release of a corpse in their captivity.” He also revealed another shocking demand allegedly made by the criminals. “The kidnappers even hilariously asked for virgins to be brought in exchange for four men that they had previously abducted.” Ajayi warned that insecurity has reached a point where even homes can no longer be considered safe. “Until recently, the home environment was considered a ‘safe haven’. “Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. A couple was attacked in front of their home in Akure, Ondo State, with the husband shot while trying to prevent his wife from being abducted,” he said.