The Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere has hailed the verdict of the Ondo High Court which sentenced to death the murderers of Mrs Olufunke Olakunri, daughter of the Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasonranti.
Speaking on behalf of the group, the Secretary-General of the group, Chief Sola Ebiseni, in a statement signed by him said the judgement has served as a signal to criminals that they are neither invincible nor above the law of the land.
According to Ebiseni, the trial and the facts confirmed the common knowledge that the group was predominantly involved in the dastardly attacks.
Ebiseni said “though not able to bring back the dead, unfortunately, the judgement sentencing to death of the murderers of Mrs Olufunke Olakunori, daughter of the Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasonranti, nevertheless is most welcome in several ways.
“First, the families, friends and other well-meaning citizens will have a sense of relief that justice has been done, notwithstanding that these murderers have a constitutionally guaranteed right of appeal up to the apex Court.
Besides, it is a signal to these criminals that they are neither invincible nor above the law of the land.
For too long, it is unfortunate that the Federal Government which monopolises the instrument of coercion and security has given Nigerians and the world that these criminals who parade themselves as cattle rearers are above the law of the land for which they make the lives of the citizens was then in the state of nature.”
He said further that, “this trial and the facts confirmed the common knowledge of the group predominantly involved in these dastardly attacks.
“In the 99 per cent of the cases of terror, either against farmers on their farms, congregants in worship places, students and teachers in schools roads blockade or train hijacking for abduction kidnapping and killings, victims do not mince words of the tribe and language of their assailants.
“The Prelate of the Methodist Communion and several other kidnapped people before his confirmed that their abductors do not even speak Hausa but Fulude language.
“The Federal Government prefers to live in denial while the hawks around the corridor of power accuse well-meaning Nigerians of ethnic stigmatising, a case of blaming the owner of not properly keeping his goods rather than condemning the thieves.
“For whatever reason, the Buhari administration is deaf to all admonitions that centralisation of the security structure in a supposed federal system whose predominant ethos is decentralization is a contradiction in terms apart from the manifest incapacity of the federal security architecture to deliver on the most fundamental issue of protecting life and property.
“One thing remains sacrosanct, Nigeria will only endure as a nation of equal rights and opportunities for the component ethnic nationalities and the citizens, in a land where the security of lives and property are inalienable and guaranteed.”