TheCable

The Yoruba communities in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom say there is an urgent need to review Nigeria’s constitution to make room for community policing.

In a statement on Saturday, Kamil Lamidi and Leke Otunuga, leaders of the group, said only community policing can guarantee security in the country.

The group said it is in support of Sunday Adeyemo, youth leader better known as Sunday Igboho, for rising to “defend the south-west Region from criminal activities”.

“The group resolved to provide total support for Chief Igboho and to work assiduously to mobilize Yoruba communities across the diaspora in support of the cause of ensuring security in the south West,” the group said.

“We expressed our complete and total support to him for the courageous effort he has taken to speak out for the Yoruba nation, at a time when our political leaders have betrayed their oaths of office and their people.

“The FG and State Governments in Yoruba land should drop their ridiculous and misguided efforts to arrest Chief Igboho and instead focus on the arrest and prosecution of those who continue to maim, rape, and kill the people of the south west on their own land.

“Chief lgboho is not alone; he has the total support of Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora. Any attempt to either arrest or unjustly persecute him will only heat up the polity and lead to chaos that the country cannot afford at this critical time.

“There must be immediate cessation of open and night grazings across the South West and the enactment of federal Laws to enforce this quickly. The compensation of citizens of the South West for all losses of lives, assault on their persons, and disruption and destructions of their homestead, patrimonial inheritances, livelihood, and incomes that they had and are being forced to endure.

“The urgent review of the Nigerian constitution to enshrine community policing as a fundamental right for communities across the country.”

On January 16, Igboho led some youths in Ibarapa local government area of the state to Salihu Abdukadir, Seriki Fulani, leader of the Fulani group, to register displeasure over the recent killings and abductions in the area.

He gave herders a seven-day ultimatum to vacate Oyo state.