Date: 2016-09-07

The expansion of Ilorin city with influx of people into the ancient city has thrown spanner in the works of the security agencies, community leaders, elders and stakeholders who are caught in the dilemma of the next line of action. AHMED 'LATEEF writes on the security forum held at the National Secretariat of Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union on Saturday.

Deafening screams and sounds of cries of a girl, Omolola (fictitious name), ensnared in the web of armed rapists in an uncompleted but abandoned residential building in Alagbede community, a suburb of Ilorin city drew the attention of passersby.

The surprise with which the incident occurred left much to be desired by residents of the community on possible recurrence of such ugly scenario in the nearest future.

Although, it was not the first time the shameful act would be enacted. The residents were astonished that should swift action not taken to unmask the perpetrators and bring them to book, what happened might just be a tip of the iceberg.

The inhabitants of the sleepy community were not just pondering but the fear of either their wives or daughters being victims of rape in the hands of armed bandits in distant future caused them sleepless night.

For the hoodlums, raping innocent girls passing-by around their den in the abandoned uncompleted site was not their primary motive. The illicit assembly spot was designated for hard drugs smoking and drinking of highly intoxicated substances.

As if that was not enough, residents of Baboko in Ilorin West Local Government Area were also not spared in the unlawful conduct of some youths who turned a particular spot in the area, considered to be very notorious, to where they purchase and take hard drugs.

The spot, known for its notoriety was not only for procurement and taking of hard drugs, it is an hotbed for suspected hoodlums and men of the underworld.

Few weeks ago, men of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of the Kwara State command burst the spot where some suspects numbering about five rounded up under the pretext they had gone to the spot to buy india hemp known among patron of the substance as 'weed'.

Available information showed that the operatives of the anti-narcotic agency acted on a tip-off and mounted surveillance on the spot unknown to the suspects that the end was near for them.

At the end of the discreet operation, five of the suspects were picked up.

The State Commander of the NDLEA, Mr Reuben Apeh, paraded the suspects with some arms and ammunition recovered from them.

He said five suspects were arrested in an uncompleted building around Baboko area of Ilorin metropolis "with functional sophisticated locally made pistols ready for operation"

The NDLEA commander, however announced that the five suspects would be handed over to the state police command for prosecution.

The scenarios above appeared to be few out of many strange and ugly happenings within Ilorin, Kwara State capital.

As the insecurity challenges with its attendant consequences persist, the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union, the apex umbrella body for all Ilorin indigenes convoked an emergency summit in Ilorin in 2014 where issue bordering on atmosphere of insecurity were examined and solutions proffered.

The union also followed it up with jingle on a federal government owned radio station in the state on the need to preserve culture and tradition of Ilorin as a peace loving city. Embedded in the jingle is the strange happenings where street urchins and area boys extort money from the people at their residential sites under construction in new settlements within and outskirts the city of Ilorin.

What seems to be a replica of the 2014 security summit was re-enacted on Saturday at the National Secretariat of IEDPU along Geri-Alimi Road, Ilorin at the instance of Ilorin Metro Peace and Security Initiative.

The security meeting tagged "Stakeholders' Forum" featured senior Emirate traditional chiefs, community leaders, government representatives and egg heads of security formations.

Addressing participants at the forum, IEDPU President, Alhaji AbdulHameed Adi, said the expansion of Ilorin city with non-indigent resident moving in droves necessitated the need to evaluate the emergent security challenges in the city with concomitant effects on the people of the city.

Adi explained that the communal security initiative was not a new measure to tackle security problems as such initiative began in 2013 prior to the 2015 general elections, saying the security climate of that period heightened tension of what might become of Ilorin at the end of the polls.

He said the Ilorin apex socio-cultural organisation met with top brass of security agencies including the police, NDLEA, Department of State Services (DSS), traditional chiefs and community leaders on the need for absolute peace in the city.

He called for the repeal of local by-laws on the prohibition of sale of alcoholic beverages across the five Local Government Areas within the Ilorin Emirate council, which he said, was a major factor aggravating security situation in the ancient city of Ilorin.

The IEDPU enjoined stakeholders in the nooks and crannies of Ilorin to wholeheartedly support various efforts to nip atmosphere of insecurity in the bud.

In his welcome speech, Chairman, Ilorin Metro Peace and Security Initiative, Mr Abdullahi Yusuf, said the gathering was to dissect the brewing religious conflict in some communities and the plan by some youth groups to organise carnival party during the forthcoming Eid-el-Kabir festivity.

He said some of the highlighted problems could endanger security architecture of not Ilorin city but the state as a whole.

Similarly, Yusuf sought collaboration of council chairmen in the Emirate to review by-laws on sale and consumption of alcohol in urban areas.

He urged community stakeholders and leaders to encourage community policing in various areas to stem crime and criminality.

The Magaji Nda of Ilorin, Alhaji Salihu Woru Mohammed, noted that concerted efforts were required to address the prevailing security situation as security agencies cannot afford to work in isolation.

Identifying causes of religious crisis and insecurity within Ilorin metropolis, the traditional chief listed inciting comments and hate preaching as immediate and remote causes of the conflict.

He cautioned media houses to give lesser attention in their reportage to conflicting issues and any news stories that could incubate violence.

Mohammed also called on various groups and associations to be wary of hate speeches in their programmes and urged every resident to be vigilant by reporting suspicious people to security agencies.

He enjoined political appointees to be opened, transparent and accountable to the people in order to avert needless crisis, warning that council chairmen should not operate like military dictators.

The Magaji Nda also called on members of political class to stop using personal hatred or grudge to government aground.

Chairman of Ilorin West Local Government Area, Tajudeen Sulu-Oloje, who spoke on behalf of his counterparts in Ilorin South, Ilorin East, Asa and Moro local government areas, called for love among residents of Ilorin, just as he stressed the need to preach love and peace.

He also urged the youth to avoid using worship centres as avenues to channel their grievances as no society.

In his remarks, Senior Special Assistant to the Kwara State Governor on Security and Intelligence, Dr Abdulsalam Suleiman, said the state government was treating security of life and property with kid gloves hence the need for stakeholders to meet and offer practical solutions to security problems.

He assured that the government had put in place adequate security to ensure that the Eid-el-Kabir festivity was hitch-free.

At the forum, representatives of security agencies including the police also promised to collaborate with community leaders on the improvement of security climate in Ilorin city.