The Alaafin of Oyo, Akeem Owoade, on Sunday urged the federal government to adopt a more holistic approach to intelligence gathering and native intelligence mechanisms to tackle rising insecurity following attacks and abductions in parts of Oyo State.
The Monarch in a statement issued in Ibadan by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, said the government must abandon reactive responses to insecurity and instead invest in intelligence capabilities capable of identifying threats before they materialise.
The call followed attacks by suspected bandits on Friday in four villages — Ahoro-Esinle, Alawusa, Yawota and Oniya — in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The attackers stormed Esinle School, killing two people, burning a vehicle and abducting more than 45 pupils alongside a teacher into the Old Oyo National Park forest.
Owoade said the destruction of lives and growing wave of abductions had reached an intolerable level, warning that Nigerians were increasingly losing confidence in the government’s ability to guarantee security.
“The country is going through serious security challenges and what is more disturbing is that these blood guzzlers cannot have such sophisticated and destructive weapons to terrorise people without receiving backing from some allies somewhere,” he said.
The monarch said insecurity had triggered widespread fear, psychological trauma and erosion of inter-communal trust, adding that the crisis posed a direct threat to governance and national stability.“The ultimate solution is more political than military,” he said.
The Monarch urged political leaders and citizens to address the root causes of insecurity, criminality and insurgency.
Owoade called for a total overhaul of the country’s security architecture while commending President Bola Tinubu for demonstrating commitment to ending insecurity.
He said security operatives had been deployed to the affected communities and assured residents that those responsible for the attacks would be brought to justice.