Forum

For over a long period of time the Landlords and Tenants Association, community leaders, criminally-minded residents, some unscrupulous officers, and rank and file of the Police have ensured that various categories of criminals in Molusi, Solanke, Oyegbami, Olorunsogo, Molete, Oshodi, Scout camp, Aluko, Felele straight and Rab, among several other communities in Oyo state perpetrate crime with impunity. Cultists, armed robbers, car snatchers, kidnappers, ritualists are just a few out of the long list of criminals, who have perhaps, been motivated by the comments of state actors during the end of SARS protests the previous year. How can accountable and responsible leadership appeal to worried residents to dialogue with criminals? The body language of state actors indicates that these criminals not only have their consent but also their blessings. Interestingly, these criminals continue to commit heinous and grievous crimes on a daily basis without hindrance. Notable among the criminals are one Samba, a barber at the Scout camp junction, linking Oshodi street and Aluko street, one samad, a generator repairer, Lekan and Segun Adewale of 8 Kehinde Aderibigbe Street, Olorunsogo, Molete, one Tobi Adesanya, a.k.a Ijoba, one Akin an electrician, who along with his gang operate from an abandoned building on the same street with the Redeemed Christian Church of God(RCCG)( Potters house), Olorunsogo, Molete, the Okada riders operating at the Molusi street junction, Molete among others.

The untreated injuries of marginalization, alienation, and fears of domination of sections by a section are the issues in Nigeria presently. Justice, Fairplay, and Equity ought to be the tenets, while the principle of federal character in appointments at all levels of governance is visibly missing. The insincerity of the transient controllers has resulted in the absence of peace, harmony, cooperation, understanding, and stability, even as those who have been neglected and abandoned, have taken perpetual refuge in the forests to ply their ''trade''. From the foregoing, those who pay the piper, have a crucial role to play, to reverse the ugly trend, since the neglected and abandoned at one time or the other had relationships with the controllers of today. Sadly, Nigerians are already suffering from debts that are questionable, just as those responsible for the debts make feeble efforts to calm frayed nerves. Of worry, however, is the fact that the Legislature is aggressively assisting the Executive to implement a sinister agenda that is not in the best interest of the country.

An unspecified number of rice farmers have been sent to the world beyond by insurgents in Borno state, Nigeria, while a first-class traditional ruler in Ondo State, Oba Adegoke Adeusi, the Olufon of Ifon under Ose Local Government Area Ondo State was assassinated by unknown gunmen while on his way back to his domain, after attending a meeting of Obas in Akure, the state capital. There are several other unreported cases of killings and kidnappings in different parts of the country and the indication is that the powers that be have lost grip of the worrisome situation. In other countries of the world, responsive and responsible leadership seeks assistance to put an end to the ugly trend, but this is not the story in Nigeria. Nobody knows why this is so, even as efforts should be geared towards examining the roles played by residents and those responsible for the protection of lives and property in the unabating ugly trend.