Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has called on the Federal Government to compensate the families of victims who lost their lives in recent stampedes across the country.
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Falana made this appeal during the Akeredolu Leadership Lecture Series in Akure on Friday, an event organized by the Ondo State Government in honor of the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
The lecture, themed “Security Sector Reform in Promoting Peace, Stability, and Development: The Ondo State Example,” addressed the tragic incidents in Ibadan, Anambra, and Abuja, where over 65 people died while attempting to collect palliatives.
Falana laid the blame squarely on the Nigerian Police for failing to ensure adequate security at the gatherings. “It was a failure of security, not poverty, that caused all the loss of lives,” Falana said.
He stressed that the police are obligated to provide protection during any form of organized public gathering.
Highlighting Ondo State’s innovative approach to security, Falana praised the late Governor Akeredolu for establishing the Ondo State Security Network, also known as Amotekun.
He described Akeredolu’s decision to defy the Federal Government to create Amotekun as a pioneering move toward state policing, which has since become a model for other states.
“The greatest tribute to Akeredolu’s legacy is the recent meeting between all 36 state governors and the Federal Government in Abuja, where the creation of state police was a major agenda,” Falana noted.
The activist also commended Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for upholding the late governor’s legacies and maintaining peace and stability in Ondo State.
Falana’s remarks have reignited the discourse on security sector reform and the urgent need for state policing to address safety challenges and prevent further tragedies.