The Council of Yoruba Elders (CYE) have launched a fundraising campaign to support security efforts aimed at tackling banditry, kidnapping and terrorism across 10 states in the country.
The initiative is expected to provide resources, including security equipment and operational tools, to strengthen efforts against criminal activities threatening communities in Yoruba-speaking areas.
The Secretary-General of the council, Dr. Victor Taiwo, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Ibadan.
He appealed to wealthy Yoruba individuals and other well-meaning Nigerians to support the campaign.
Taiwo said funds generated from the initiative would be used to procure surveillance drones and other security gadgets needed to enhance intelligence gathering and improve security operations.
He expressed confidence that the intervention would significantly reduce incidents of banditry, kidnapping and terrorism, adding that the security plan could deliver major results within 60 days if adequately funded and fully implemented.
According to him, the initiative will cover Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Lagos, Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara, Kogi, Edo and Delta states.
The CYE Secretary-General lamented that warnings he had issued since 2015 over what he described as plans by criminal elements to expand their activities into parts of the South-West were not given adequate attention.
“We have to find ways to halt the further expansion of banditry and secure the release of those in captivity. Yoruba people are not ready to succumb to what we perceive as threats. We will resist with all the resources available to us,” Taiwo said, adding that the fundraising campaign had already attracted contributions from some donors while urging more people to support the initiative.
