With Joke Adeniyi-Jackson
While people around the globe were ushering in a new year with expectations and renewed hope for better days given the gale of challenges that defined the outgone year, somewhere in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, youths went on rampage causing untold havoc.
The peace and tranquility of Taiwo Isale, a community, in Ilorin, was disrupted by disgruntled youths who unleashed terror on Christian and Muslim faithful in various places of worship for cross over programmes into 2018.
People sustained serious injuries while vehicles and other properties worth millions of naira were destroyed. Unconfirmed reports had it that a girl was also raped by the miscreants in the presence of her mother.
It was learnt that the irate youths had taken laws into their hands following refusal by the leaders of the community for them to hold their annual end of the year carnival due to security reasons.
Consequently, on the first day in the virgin year, Kwara State was in the news for the wrong reasons. The news of the New Year fracas made headlines of major newspapers and television stations in the country.
So also, report of the alleged murder of two suspected cultists in front of the popular Shoprite on New Year day, in what was said to be a reprisal attack.
This unfortunate and unwholesome incidents, no doubt marred the New Year celebration in Ilorin and portrayed the state of Harmony in a bad light to the outside world.
What this ugly incidents connotes, is the huge social crime vis a vis the state of insecurity in Kwara, particularly the state capital.
Incontrovertibly, there is a growing social crime in the state, which is threatening peace and security, with the main actors being youths. These include high rate of drug abuse, cultism, advance fees fraud (Yahoo Yahoo), rape, burglary, robbery, politically motivated violence and conflict related violence such as involvement in communal clashes etcetera.
Still fresh in our memories is the Indian hemp carnival organised by a group of secondary school learners who also had the audacity to print flyers to create awareness for their herrondous expedition, which however served as their undoing because they were rounded up by the police during the ungodly ceremony. Perhaps, many of such parties could have gone unnoticed to prying eye of the security agents and the society.
In addition, is the problem of cultism, another social vice threatening peaceful ambience, Ilorin is widely known for. In recent time, there have been series of bloody attacks by rival cult groups leading to quite a number of deaths. Needless to say many promising youths have had their lives cut during cult attacks. The activities of cult groups have assumed frightening dimensions in the state, with attacks carried out in broad daylight.
Cultism which was hitherto confined to tertiary institutions in the past has infiltrated the society; artisans, miscreants and secondary school students among others have swell up membership of fraternity societies. This is a worrisome trend which calls for concern of government and the good people of Kwara State.
With this ugly trend, the security agents in the state have a herculean task before them. Taiwo Isale is one of the dark spots within the metropolis, therefore the state Police Command must strengthen surveillance in the area. One must, however, commend the Ado Lawan-led state police command for prompt response to the New Year eve attack, which prevented the situation from snowballing into large scale security problem. The police’s intervention actually put the situation under control. There should also be full scale investigation into the attack with the aim of bringing those found culpable to book to serve as detterent to others. There should be no sacred cows. The Commissioner of Police must ensure that the effort must not be frustrated by highly placed individuals who may want to lobby to get their kinsmen off the hook at all cost. Moreover, security agencies in the state must be alive to their responsibilities in order to ensure full maintenance of law and order.
So also, the role of the family cannot be undermined in stemming down social crime in the society, parents must brace up to their responsibility of instilling high moral values in their children. The exuberances and excesses of youth should be checked by parents and guardians as it strongly believed that charity begins at home.
Of commendation is the state government’s swift reaction and condemnation of the dastardly attack. But beyond that, Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed should look at ways of addressing the problems militating against youths generally, chief among which is unemployment. Most youths are pushed into social vices as a result of the myraid of problems and harsh realities which include poverty, unemployment, conflicts, which pose great challenges to them.
It is known fact that the youth have raw energy which could be channeled to vices if not harnessed positively. The state government can also promote active involvement of youths in maintaining peace and security. This is essential given the fact that we are approaching the election year and the fear is that some of these unemployed youths may make themselves available as ready tools to disgruntled politicians for political violence and election malpractices.
The role of youths in development of any society cannot be downplayed or undermined, hence the reason premium attention should be paid to their welfare and well being by government at all levels.
