Akeredolu: Stop branding terrorism as banditry

Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has warned that the various criminal activities of kidnapping, bombing and assault on the people in some parts of the country which are being referred to as banditry must be appropriately addressed as terrorism.

The governor spoke on Monday at the 27th Nigerian Economic Summit held in Abuja with the theme: “Securing Our Future: The Fierce Urgency of Now.”

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 He said the infiltration of the country’s borders and burning down of railway were activities that must be addressed as terrorism and the perpetrators treated as same.

Governor Akeredolu and his Kaduna State counterpart, Malam Nasir El-rufai and others were among the panelists at the summit, which centered on addressing the security challenges in the country.

In his introductory remarks, he said that a nation with failed security and justice systems was set to fail.

While lamenting that the dimension of insecurity in the country recently has been surprising, the governor said he has always believed in multi-level policing as the best way of securing the nation.

 Speaking on the recent ban on open grazing, Governor Akeredolu said nomadic pastoralist is a culture that must be discouraged in the interest of those involved.

 He said the issue of grazing routes was not a welcome conversation, adding that those were issues of the past that must not be brought back to the fore.

 The governor said: “Speaking for those of us who have put in place anti-open grazing law. We have our reasons and we have no apologies.

 “Grazing routes? Grazing routes to where? It is not going to work. There are things we had in the past. Don’t let us imagine it now. Time changes. Grazing with AK 47 is an assault. Ban on open grazing, we are doing it effective in Ondo State.

 “Nomadic pastoralist is not a new thing. There were nomadic farmers all over the world. I know of people, high ranking who have ranches today. They can showcase their cows.

 “Why are we pushing these people out? It is a culture that must be discouraged in the interest of those who are involved. Even with the president’s order that anyone with Ak47 should be arrested, how many have been arrested?”