Palpable Fear Of Insecurity: Account Of My Recent Visit To Ilesa, Muyiwa Olayinka
By Muyiwa Olayinka
This is a real account of events; it is not contrived or conjured. The names are fictitious to hide the identity and names because I did not ask for permissions of people involved to write this article. This is my personal account!
Friday 28th of June 2019 was a wet day in Lagos, it rained cats and dogs. Heavens opened up with raindrops as early as 7.30am for long hours. Unfortunately for me it was this day that I had to travel to my hometown, Ilesa, for a burial ceremony of mother of one of the few men I respect, my “Egbon” Mr. Bayo.
It is someone like Mr. Bayo that could make me embarked on a trip under heavy rain aided with an umbrella, boarded a commercial bus under a ceaseless rain. I knew it was going to be a hectic journey going by Lagos with its peculiarity that once it rains in Lagos; lives and properties will be displaced and distorted. The heavy traffic had built up as usual major roads were flooded in almost the entire metropolis.
It was after 2.30 pm that the bus with the experienced driver was able to navigate through the hectic traffic to the old Lagos toll gate on a journey expected to take three hours, or tops three and a half hours.
I first noticed the palpable fear among the passengers when it was getting rather late to get to our final destinations of Ife and Ilesa. Pockets of traffic congestions at some of the usual traffic trouble spots along Lagos Ibadan expressway like Kara bus stop, MFM church, Mowe Ibafo, RCCG church coupled with ongoing construction work on the ever busy road made the journey longer. Some of the passengers were becoming apprehensive because of stories of kidnappings and banditry along Ibadan Ilesa expressway. It is this stretch of road a lecturer of Obafemi Awolowo University was kidnapped and ransom of N2m was paid by members of his family.
Some passengers disembarked at Ife, added to the travelling hours that would have reduced if we had taken the Ife Ibadan bye pass that would have linked us directly to Ilesa. As we were approaching the Osu Ilesa junction along Ibadan Akure Expressway, I enquired from the driver the vast expanse of lands allegedly sold to the Fulani Herdsmen by the traditional ruler of Ibodi. I was shown the vast land which is on the right inbound Ibodi after navigating the Akure Osu round about heading towards Ilesa. I saw some scanty structures as I viewed it briefly from the road. This is the land many have queried the proprietary of selling the land to strangers bearing in mind the precarious situation of increased kidnapping cases along major expressways that pass through the entire states of South west regions.
Many have opined this could serve as a safe haven for criminal elements among the new settlers. We eventually got to Ilesa by 7pm, later arrived at the venue (Zenababs Half Moon Resort, along Ijebu Jesha road) and I was ensconced by my host, Mr Bayo.
I, my childhood friend Gabriel, his uncle Gboye (a retired top public servant in one of the security agencies in Nigeria) and other well-wishers were hanging around to felicitate after the main party had ended. We were chatting and socializing oblivious of time spent, as we used to do in Lagos before our attention was called to the security situation at home. It was 11pm!
Before we parted ways, I and my friend Gabriel agreed to meet his uncle at Otapete Methodist Church to join him the next day, to join him in his car back to Lagos. Uncle Gboye was scheduled to attend another funeral service of his deceased friend the next day which was Saturday.
We left in another car but warned to be wary and be vigilant. It was obvious that panic and fear reigned supreme among once upon bubbling people of my town, they have lost their freedom, enthusiasm, drive and courage.
The tense situation is more compounded with the total black out of almost the entire town, as a result of intractable problems the indigenes had with Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IEBDC), the electricity service provider company.
Recall that the rift was caused as a result of reported incessant stolen cables and accessories, unfair practices of the company, accusing fingers were pointed towards some disgruntled staffs. When respite did not come their ways, some youths mobilized attacked and destroyed some of the equipment, in retaliation the entire town was thrown into darkness for more than three months. It took the intervention of some opinion leaders, politicians; traditional leaders before issues were partially resolved and electricity was restored in some parts of the town, while majority are still in darkness. Unfortunately my area is currently affected as I’m writing this article.
I was told the ever bubbling streets of Ilesa are wearing solemn look once it’s getting dark. Night life is almost nonexistent. By the time my friend dropped me off at the family house, I was already infected with spirit of fear, I started looking over my shoulder at every seconds. I was paralyzed with fear when I was surrounded and enveloped with thick darkness and it became worse when it took some few minutes before the main gate was opened. I heaved a sigh of relief when I finally landed on my bed and fell asleep.
This is how I ended my first day in Ilesa.
Being an early riser, I woke up as early as 5 am the following day; my vicinity was still surrounded with darkness. It was around 7am that I started hearing vehicular activities. I attended to personal matters before my friend came to pick me up to have our breakfasts of pounded yam and “Ogufe” at a popular buka along Oke Omi Iru Oshogbo road. I noticed food was very expensive compare to Lagos; could it be as a result of the security situation?
We joined uncle Gboye at Otapete Cathedral at 12 noon as agreed and I saw many guests at the church service that came from Lagos were ready to leave the town as quickly as possible, not wanting to wait any longer for reception. The rush to leave Ilesa was thick in the air. Members of the deceased family probably had premonition of what to expect made provisions for food packs. We left Ilesa under this condition and the thought did not leave me but kept wondering how my people had been reduced to bunch of fearful wrecks.
Throughout my stay, my phone was buzzing from calls from my immediate family to enquire about my safety, so also my friend and his uncle. My immediate junior brother based in USA was much more worried when I told him I was travelling to Ilesa. He did not stop calling till I got back to Lagos. I could not blame him because of scary news they are being fed on daily basis through western media channels and social media platforms.
We drove quietly out of Ilesa not looking back, hoping patiently to get back to our base in Lagos. But the question is there any safe haven in Nigeria?
The South west region is currently infected apart from armed robberies with vices like kidnapping, banditry by the Fulani herdsmen. The problem is more compounded by migration from various part of North down to the South, thus increasing criminal activities. We have been inundated with reported kidnappings on isolated major roads like Ibadan Akure express road, Ibadan Ife to mention a few. Uncle Gboye, relying on his skills as a retired security expert showed us some of the notable places and axis where kidnapping had taken place. It baffles me how these people continue to have a free reign as these marauders live in our midst.
Why are the security outfits finding it so difficult to locate the camps of these kidnapping rings? Or the victims have not been reporting to appropriate authorities once ransom has been paid and they are eventually released?
Many questions are begging for answers.
While I understand the issue of security is a collective effort, it is obvious that there is no synergy among the citizens, community leaders, traditional institutions, security organs, professional bodies and government at all levels.
The basic responsibility of government at all levels is to guarantee security of lives and properties. As government is shirking in its responsibility, there are no concrete steps taken to encourage confidence to be built among the people. Some of the few security meetings convened ended up more like political jamborees. Leading Yoruba leaders have not collectively gathered together to evolve a security strategy to tackle it headlong. Some of the traditional rulers like the Baale of Ibodi are more concerned in benefiting financially in selling lands to whosoever is willing to pay the right price.
The people have been left to their fates and if this is not checked, it could resort to self-help and anarchy. Already threats have been issued by Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), a Yoruba social political group that if urgent steps are not taken they will have no choice than to defend the people.
For how long are we going to continue to wait in vain before help will come and sanity will be restored so that my people will no longer continue live like frighten chickens in a conquered territory?
My heart bleeds for my people at home and my homeland of Ilesa.
