Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio-political movement, has demanded the establishment of state police in response to the ongoing assaults on farmers by armed herdsmen and the requirement to improve adequate security at the local level.
The appeal was made in a statement released by the association's secretary-general, Sola Ebiseni, following a meeting of the group at Pa Ayo Adebanjo's home in Ogbo Ijebu, Ogun State.
The organisation bemoaned the concerning return of instability brought on by armed cattle herders terrorising farmers, murder, maiming, and rape; as a result, several host towns are no longer comfortable having the murderer guests in their midst.
"While Afenifere respects every Nigerian's constitutional right to reside wherever in the nation, it's crucial to go above and beyond to make sure these individuals coexist peacefully with their hosts and respect their way of life, culture, and success.
"Afenifere restates our objection to animals grazing on public land and our support for ranching as the finest method of animal husbandry in the world.
"It is better than ever to consider allowing state governments to play greater roles in the security of their states by establishing their internal policing mechanism", the group stated in its communiqué.
On true federalism, the organisation demanded that the federal government led by Bola Ahmed Tinubu embrace the 2014 Confab report or the Nasir El-Rufai Committee on Federalism's recommendations for real federalism to reorganise the nation and amend the 1999 constitution.
The group said, "Nigeria is a federation of entrenched ethnic nationalities that have failed to evolve into a nation due to deviation from the foundational principles of federalism.
"Nigeria would remain a mere geographical manifestation with no feeling of shared nationality and patriotism until it is governed based on real federalism, which assures inclusivity, fairness, equality, justice, and a sense of belonging to all of its constituent groups.
"In this regard, the only way forward is to change the military constitution immediately and re-enact a constitution consistent with the fundamental federal principles.
"Unless and until this is done, all of the mistakes that resulted in the sort of electoral shenanigans observed at the 2023 general elections, as well as the technical ruling by the Supreme Court legitimising the same, will fester indefinitely.
"As a result, Afenifere urges civil society and well-meaning Nigerians to work together to ensure that the Federal Government swiftly implements the appropriate mechanisms in this respect.
"Afenifere also approved the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum resolutions on the need to restructure Nigeria utilising the Reports of the 2014 National Conference and the APC/El-Rufai Committee on Federalism as the irreducible framework."
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