The Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has urged the federal government to urgently overhaul Nigeria’s security architecture to curb the rising incidents of kidnappings and extra-judicial killings across the country.
This call was part of a communiqué issued after the group’s caucus meeting held in Akure, Ondo State—the hometown of its leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti.
Afenifere emphasized the urgent need for the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to develop comprehensive strategies in collaboration with state governors to tackle the nation’s deteriorating security situation.
According to the communiqué signed by Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, restructuring the nation’s security framework would help identify the root causes of insecurity and enable authorities to respond more decisively.
The group decried the resurgence of terrorism, kidnapping, and banditry in parts of Yorubaland—especially in Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Lagos, Ekiti, and Oyo—as well as in other states like Kogi, Plateau, Benue, Anambra, Edo, Nassarawa, Niger, and Kaduna.
Afenifere also urged governors in the South-West to strengthen the region’s internal security network, particularly the Amotekun Corps. The group called for more personnel, better equipment, and the deployment of modern surveillance technologies, including drones.
Reaffirming its stance on state policing, Afenifere pressed for immediate implementation. It also asked governors to identify and deal with criminal elements among herders, including holding cattle owners accountable for damage and insecurity caused by their livestock.
On agriculture, the group advised state governments in Yorubaland to revisit and adapt old policies on farm settlements to boost food production, citing the link between food security and national stability.
The organization also renewed its push for cultural preservation, calling for Yoruba to be used more extensively in early education and legislative sessions within Yoruba-speaking states.
On national governance, Afenifere urged President Bola Tinubu to fast-track the move towards true federalism, describing it as key to addressing many of Nigeria’s structural challenges.
The group, however, commended the president for acting on some of their past recommendations, including the ongoing dualization of the Ore-Ondo-Akure road and reconstruction of the Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso road. Pa Fasoranti expressed appreciation but appealed for further action on critical projects such as the Ibadan-Ife-Ilesha road.
![UK Supreme Court Declares Transgender Women Not Legally 'Woman' Under Equality Act The United Kingdom Supreme Court has declared that transgender women, even those with Gender Recognition Certificates, do not fall under the legal definition of "woman" as set out in the landmark Equality Act 2010. The judgment, delivered by five justices on Wednesday could upend years of hard-fought progress by the trans rights movement and is already fuelling calls for a redraft of the Equality Act. The case, a flashpoint in an increasingly polarised gender rights war, was triggered by a challenge from gender-critical campaign group For Women Scotland (FWS). Backed in part by author J.K. Rowling and the advocacy group Sex Matters, FWS argued that the term "woman" in the Equality Act must be understood biologically, and not through self-identification or legal paperwork. The Scottish government, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with trans rights advocates, defended its stance. Its lawyers leaned heavily on the Gender Recognition Act 2004, which states that individuals issued a GRC have legally changed their sex “for all purposes.” That, they argued, should include legal protections reserved for women. The Supreme Court’s central concern in its ruling was that treating trans women as women would create insurmountable “practical problems”. “The meaning of the terms ‘sex’, ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in the [Equality Act] 2010 refer to biological sex, as any other interpretation would render the EA 2010 incoherent and impracticable to operate,” the court ruled. The judges noted that protections for pregnant women would collapse unless “man” and “woman” had a biological meaning. They also found that considering trans women with gender recognition certificates as having a female “certificated sex” created further issues. Lord Hodge said that “interpreting sex as certificated sex would cut across the definitions of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in the [Equality Act 2010] – and thus the protected characteristic of sex – in an incoherent way.” In its reasons, the Supreme Court found that the notion of “certificated sex” would also “weaken the protections given to those with the protected characteristic of sexual orientation,” for example by “interfering with their ability to have lesbian-only spaces and associations”. The justices also found that blurring the boundary of sex would also create “confusion and impracticability” around the provision of “single sex characteristic associations and charities, women’s fair participation in sport, the operation of the public sector equality duty, and the armed forces”. Reacting, the UK Government hailed the “clarity” provided by the Supreme Court’s ruling. “We have always supported the protection of single sex spaces based on biological sex,” a spokesman said. “This ruling brings clarity and confidence, for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges, and sports clubs. “Single sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this Government.”](https://newsbulletin.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1744804310668-300x169.jpg)
