Fayemi: Govs, FG Working to Bring Sponsors of Banditry, Insurgency to Book

Fayemi: Govs, FG Working to Bring Sponsors of Banditry, Insurgency to Book

• Says no one found culpable will be spared

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has said the governors and the federal government were already working together to bringing sponsors of banditry and insurgency in the country to book.

Fayemi, however, assured Nigerians that the federal government would not spare anyone found culpable in the sponsor of banditry and insurgency that had caused deaths and trauma to innocent people of the country.

Fayemi disclosed this in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital on Wednesday, when he received the executive of Federation of Ekiti State Students’ Union (FESSU), the National Female Students’ Association of Nigeria as well as students’ union leaders of higher institutions in the state.

Speaking during the meeting, which last some time, Fayemi reiterated President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s commitment “at ensuring that perpetrators of crimes are brought to book. No room would be allowed for impunity of any kind in the country”.

He further disclosed that the NGF under his watch had visited some of the affected northern states like Zamfara, Kebbi and Kaduna, where female students had been abducted and met with the governors to look at how the forum could assist security institutions there to retrieve abducted students.

He explained further that it was the sole task of the states to undertake the responsibility of security and welfare of the citizens not minding the limitations that governors do not control the security apparatus of their states even as Chief Security Officers in their respective states.

Fayemi said as a result of the emergency declared by the governors last year, about 30 states of the federation had signed the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act into law within the last ten months.

He added that his administration had encouraged other states and even universities to set up gender-based laws and anti-sexual harassment committees as well as sexual assault referral centres to look after victims of sexual assaults, harassment of whatever kind to stem the tide in that area.

The governor, however, promised to continue to form synergy and collaborate with students and students’ bodies to ensure their welfare and safety wherever they may find themselves in all parts of the country.

“It is a time all of us are concerned about the issue of insecurity and I must thank you for going beyond your immediate issue as students to raise the question that is agitating the minds of all Nigerians, security, particularly, security of our girl child.

“I have had cause over the last month or two to visit Kankara, Jangebe in Zamfara and go to Kebbi, where our female students have been abducted and meet with the governors, look at how we can also assist security institutions to retrieve these abducted children. Not to mention what has been happening particularly in Kaduna State over the last few months.

“Clearly, government has a lot to do to protect our citizens. The first responsibility we have in the constitution of Nigeria is the security and welfare of citizens. And if we are not able to achieve all of that, then, we would be said to be failing in our duty and since we don’t want to be seen as failures, I want to reassure you that as governors, we are working collaboratively with the federal government and our security institutions to really stem the tide of insecurity.

“At the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, we declared an emergency against gender-based violence from June 10, 2020. I directed all states to enact laws against gender-based violence and there is a whole range of it, sexual harassment, defilement of children and domestic violence.

“And at the time we declared that emergency, we had 14 states that had signed into law, the violence against persons prohibition act, today, we have 30 states, many in the northern part of Nigeria that had not signed it last year and have now signed it”.

National President of FESSU, Comrade Awolola Charles and the President of Female Students Association of Nigeria, Comrade Modupe Adetiba expressed their unreserved appreciation to Fayemi in his effort at ensuring students were well positioned to achieve their hearts’ desires for greatness.

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