Filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has expressed concern over the escalating insecurity and rising cases of kidnapping across Nigeria.
PREMIUM TIMES reported several incidents, including the abduction of church members in Kwara State and the kidnapping of schoolchildren in Kebbi and Niger States.
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The newspaper also reported that President Bola Tinubu confirmed the release of thirty-eight abductees, all freed unharmed.
Additionally, the Niger State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed the release of fifty pupils abducted from St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area.
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Reacting to news of the releases, the 51-year-old filmmaker, in a video posted on his Instagram page on Monday, questioned whether any of the perpetrators behind the abductions had been arrested.
He criticised the government over the deteriorating security situation, alleging that the authorities are merely “playing” Nigerians with repeated cycles of kidnap-and-rescue announcements.
Afolayan, who’s from Igbomina-Yoruba in Kwara, said: “Is the current government doing what it should be doing? I don’t think so. Are they doing half or a quarter of what they should be doing? Not at all. But they are all the same thing. Those who are there now and those who contested and lost are the same thing. And those moving from one party to the other are the same bunch of people. And the minute they have an agenda and they feel, look, let’s just stop the peace of the people again, they create chaos.
“And personally, I feel that is why all of these things… They’re playing us because this minute they will announce, they’ve kidnapped people, and the next minute the government will intervene. And then they’ll say they have rescued those kidnapped, but when they rescue, did they arrest the perpetrators? Did they make any arrests at all? That would never be, we know how the government works. Are we going to continue like that? I don’t know. What is the solution? I don’t know.”
Political strategies
The director of “Aníkúlápó” added that the developments unfolding in the country were nothing more than political manoeuvres by certain politicians seeking power.
He described the situation as deeply worrisome and prayed for those who were severely affected by the incident.
“Nigeria, the honest truth is I always try to figure out solutions in my head and also always try to work out things I feel I can do in my capacity to support the country, support the system, support humanity and all of that.
But the honest truth is like it’s hard and tough. Especially in recent times, everything that’s happening now has happened in the past.
“What I have noticed is that most of these things are politically motivated, when people want to bring down a government, that is when things like this happen. Everybody will say get your voter’s card and vote, vote out the people you know. Who are the people? It’s all a bunch of the same people,” said Afolayan.
He urged citizens to do whatever they could to reduce, cope with, or otherwise manage the current situation as they travelled home for the festivities.
Afolayan noted, “The year is coming to an end. People have plans to travel. People have plans to celebrate. People have plans to rejoice, you know, with family and all. God will not let us meet evil. When we move around, I pray that the almighty God’s protection will be upon all of us.
“I pray that we will never be part of, or we won’t have a share in all of these things. Just like we normally would say, let’s leave it in God’s hands. I think in our own individual capacity, whatever it is we can do, to reduce or cope or deal with this current situation, I think we should do it.”
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