Ifatoyin Adeyeye, the Araba-Ogboni of Osi-Ekiti in the Ido/Osi council area of Ekiti, says returning to ancestral beliefs remained the only way to tackle the rising cases of banditry and kidnapping.

Mr Adeyeye, in an interview in Ibadan on Wednesday, advised elders in Yoruba land to return to the adoption of ancestral powers and spiritual heritage to curb the insecurity bedevilling the country.

Describing the spate of insecurity in the country as worsening and disturbing, the priest suggested that returning to the powers of ”our” forefathers was enough to protect the Yoruba land and, in extension, the entire nation.

He noted that the insecurity bedevilling the nation was self-inflicted, adding that Yorubaland had traded its ancestral powers for foreign culture and beliefs that were not working for the land.

“We must return to the powers as of old, bringing back our ancestral powers that our forefathers were using to protect the land and its people before the importation of foreign cultures.

“Our ancestors stood for justice, peace, and communal harmony; hence, it was not possible for bandits, kidnappers, and all criminal elements to operate in Yoruba land. We must invoke those powers at this critical time. We must rise against banditry and kidnapping. Our people deserve to live in peace and move freely without fear.

“Bring together our priests to chase bandits, kidnappers, and all criminal elements out of Yoruba land. The time to invoke those values is now. It is time for all traditional priests in Yorubaland to come together and rise against the menace of banditry and kidnapping,” he said.

The Ibadan-based priest, while commending President Bola Tinubu on his policies aimed at making Nigeria great, identified insecurity as a major challenge facing his government.

“The issue of insecurity is a small issue if only we can return to the days of old when our forefathers were at the forefront championing security, but unfortunately, we have traded our rights for the foreign culture, and that is why these problems are confronting us,” he said.

He called for synergy and cooperation between the Agbekoya and OPC in Yoruba land, and between the national security agencies, in tackling security challenges in Yoruba land in particular and the nation at large.

(NAN)