Afenifere has renewed pressure on the federal government to accelerate the rescue of pupils and teachers abducted from three schools in Oriire local government area of Oyo State, calling the roughly fifty days the victims have spent in captivity unacceptable and demanding urgent action to free them from what it described as the den of the bandits.
The demand came in a communiqué issued after a caucus meeting at the Akure residence of Afenifere leader Chief Reuben Fasoranti, chaired by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Chief Olu Falae and attended by delegates from Lagos, Ekiti, Oyo, Ogun, Kwara, Kogi, Osun and Ondo States. The group said it remained deeply disturbed that the victims continue to endure avoidable trauma and sympathised with their families while urging security agencies to intensify rescue efforts and confront the wider wave of kidnappings across the region.
On state policing, Afenifere praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for transmitting the enabling bill to the National Assembly and commended lawmakers for moving to consider it quickly, but insisted parts of the legislation still need amendment, arguing that some clauses would strengthen federal control over state police rather than genuinely decentralising it. The group maintained that policing should sit on the Concurrent Legislative List to guarantee real operational independence for state formations, and called on governors across Yoruba speaking states, including Kwara and Kogi, to take more decisive action against insecurity, warning that criminal activity is increasingly threatening lives and restricting free movement across the region.
