Hyacinth Chinweuba
The traditional ruler of Iwo land, the Oba Abdul-Rasheed Akanbi, Oluwo of Iwo land, Osun State has proposed death penalty for kidnappers, ritualists and cultists who were committing such crimes with impunity in the society.
Akanbi made this call at the 2019 Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) annual lecture awards which held at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos State.
According to him, our security personnel are doing a great job but we need to help them do better by implementing the death penalty for such offenders to serve as deterrent to others.
“Security in this nation starts from abolishing cultism and the implementation of strict laws such as death penalty to be applied to anybody that takes another person’s life.
“I am an advocate of the abolishment of cultism and secret society which should be met with severe penalties for law breakers in the society,” he said.
The oba said that there was a lot of kidnapping in Nigeria with ritualists killing people in the name of tradition and culture.
“A culture that kills his neighbour should be abolished and resisted in the country. Our culture must be about love and not killing each other for traditional purposes or money making ventures.
“Sacrifices of nowadays are not the sacrifices of the past that is why we are here today to make a difference to correct the mistakes of the past.
“History needs only to be referenced and not applied to the present therefore, we must strive to be greater than our ancestors,” he said.
Akanbi said that our tradition and culture was beautiful and encouraged traditional rulers to renounce such cultures as the killing of people for traditional reasons as well as other unhealthy cultural practices.
“We have to be conservative and progressive to forge ahead and move with the development of time. When time and tradition moves, cultures should also move with it.
“Any cultural practices inherited from our forefathers is called antique and should be placed in the museums that holds priceless stock,” he said.
The oba advised that we should copy the western world in technology and move forward in innovation to better our country.
“China was not producing cars in the 60’s but they copied the technology of the western world, learned and now they have over taken in the production of technological innovations.
“Innoson Motors has already gone in the line of making Nigeria produced vehicles and over time, the innovation will be perfected,” he said.
Akanbi urged urged citizens to desist from criticising anything that was made in Nigeria and instead encourage local production through patronage.
Nigeria is great and the most populous country in Africa but where lies our riches
The oba also advocated the making of stricter laws to deter crime so as to build an enabling environment that would encourage investors come into our country.
“Stricter laws against traffic rules also need to be adopted too to make our raids safer from drunk drivers and tgose who drive agaunst traffic,” he said.
Akanbi saod that we needed a sane society that would be free of corruption just as China had been able to cleanse its society of corrupt leaders by adopting death penalty for such leaders.
“Corruption is killing our society and empowering only a hand few at the detriment of the masses.
“Money that is meant to be used for building good roads, hospitals is taken out of the country by greedy politicians and stored abroad in foreign countries.
Akanbi said that President Buhari once advocated the death penalty in 1984 when he was then the Head of State of Nigeria against drug traffickers which brought trafficking to a barest minimum in the country.
“The president has taken the lead and wants to start rebuilding the society for good again and I enjoin everybody to support him,” the oba said.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Ahmed Iliyasu, Zone 2 Command said that the Command would leverage on “Operation Puff Adder” to checkmate all forms of crime across Lagos and Ogun States.
Iliyasu said that IGP Mohammed Adamu inaugurated and launched Operation Puff Adder on April 5, 2019 as a veritable, vehicular, anti-crime machine to dismantle all forms of crime and criminality in the society.
“In view of this, Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has already constituted a rebranded umbrella of Operation Puff Adder to operate along the zone.
” Our operational, tactical and covert units have been charged and directed through special operation order to checkmate crimes during the ember months and yuletide periods.
“Special operations are carried out, outlined to cover highways, social centres, commercial institutions, religious centres especially along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Shagamu-Benin-Ore highways with references to flashpoint areas.
” Also, we will tackle hectic and serious problems associated with vehicular traffic control especially in Lagos,” he said.
Iliyasu also said that it was of great concern with the way arms and ammunition were being illegally imported, smuggled, made and possessed in the country.
“The police are not unaware of its effect on the security and economy of the country.
“The general public is hereby enjoined to give the Police information on any form of perceived crime or danger in their neighborhood, and to be always vigilant,” he said.
Iliyasu said that the Police can not achieve these noble goals alone but adopting community policing and community engagement as a strategy in combating crime and criminality, the society would be made safe.
Also speaking, Mr Sunday Odita, CRAN President said that the lecture topic: Proliferation of Arms: A Threat To Democracy was chosen to address the dangers of the proliferation of arms in the society.
“The topic was carefully chosen because of what we consider of be the great danger ahead if the spate of arms proliferation in Nigeria is not halted.
“So, as concerned Nigerians, addressing the issue in a gathering like this, will definitely help to suggest a road map on how best the ugly devopment can be tackled,” Odita said.
