Oyo state in the South-west region of Nigeria has its ugly take of insecurity. BAYO AGBOOLA takes a careful look at security report in the state.
The problem of insecurity in Oyo state like in some parts of the country is on a daily basis. In recent times, it got worrisome ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery and killings in most cases thereby creating fears, panic and tension in places like Ibarapaland, Oke Ogun and Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
Although, the state government is making efforts at arresting the increasing spate of insecurity in and across the state, the efforts so far is like a drop of water in an ocean as the menace continues. For example, the state government had in the past few weeks donated operational vehicles to all the security agencies in the state towards ensuring adequate and proper policing of the state.
Some insecurity reports
Again, in the last few months of this year, (2021), over 50 residents of the state were kidnapped at different locations within the state between March 15 and May 15 2021 with 15 of them abducted by gunmen between the months of March and April. Also within the same period, a farm security guard in Fiditi area of the state was kidnapped on Wednesday, 17th March by some unknown gunmenA couple and five others were also victims of the rampaging kidnappers in the state who, on March 29, stormed their base at Alabameji village Sanyo area of Ibadan, the state capital and kidnapped three farmers in Oluyole local government area while four others including three workers of a quarry site in Ibadan and another resident were also kidnapped on Tuesday, April 6.Also, armed robbery has turned out to be a major concern to all and sundry in the state especially in Ibadan, the state capital, where the daily influx of commercial motorcyclists otherwise known as Okada is without limit thereby constituting mostly to the increase in the rate of daylight robbery in Ibadan and Ibarapaland. In the recent days, the fears of Okada riding robbers is the beginning of wisdom in some parts of Ibadan as no one can guarantee his safety in the hands of the Okada robbers operating mainly in the early hours and later in the day in areas such as New Site and GRA as they operate anytime of the day.The insecurity situation is also taking its toll on residents in some parts of Ibadan, such as Apete, Awotan, Ijokodo and Sango -Eleyele- Poly road, Beere, Molete, Oluyole Estate, Coca Cola, Sango , Ojoo, Okeitunu, Alaro and others areas with residents said to have developed the culture of sleeping with one eye close and the other open as the gunmen/robbers invade the areas and cart away people’s property at will.Security operatives in the state especially the police on their parts seems to be improving in the recent times going by their presence in some parts of the state as well as in their activities as highlighted by the state Commissioner of Police, CP Vivian Ngozi Onadeko. Operatives of the state Joint Security Task Force code-named ‘Operation Burst’ as well as Amotekun corps are on ground particularly in Ibarapaland which till date is leading in the area of Insecurity in Oyo state considering the large concentration of herders in the area.
Govt explains effort at curbing insecurity
Highlighting his administration’s efforts at tackling insecurity issue, Governor Seyi Makinde while speaking during his recent inspection tour of security joint base at Mamu village on the Oyo/Ogun state border, minced no words in saying that all the security agencies in the state are working round the clock to ensure that the people of Oyo are safe and secure. He said the security base was established to tackle insecurity, especially cases of kidnapping along the Ibadan/Ijebu-Ode road as the state government has been providing logistics support for the security agencies to work effectively in the state. “This particular place has really been in the news for kidnapping people coming across the border to perpetrate evil. This is a pilot project and we want to secure all the entry and exit points to Oyo state. This is the border with Ogun state. If everything works well, because we have CCTV cameras out there that are being monitored from the control room. If anything is going on here, they can alert us so that the security agencies can deal with the situation appropriately. But for us, if we know people coming in and we can trace them or if any crime is committed inside the state and they want to run out, we can activate the process whereby they can be apprehended at the entry/exit points.”The governor stressed that the security joint base has a Close Circuit Television (CCTV) and cameras that are being monitored from the state’s control room and that activities going on at the border post can be monitored by security agencies and that they would be alerted to deal with the situation appropriately.
Opposition party berates Makinde
However to the opposition parties, the present administration in the state is allegedly playing with the issue of security of lives and property of the the people of the state with what they termed ‘populists style of Governor Seyi Makinde administration’. A former governor of the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala once asked Gov Makinde to summon a parley of past governors of the state to brainstorm on how best to handle the depreciating security situation in the state.”A council of state meeting comprising all former governors of the state both uniformed and civilian is necessary at this point to save our dear state from total collapse security-wise. The council of state meeting is a statutory organ of government and its function include advising the executive in policy making. Gov Seyi Makinde needs help in the area of maintaining law and order in the polity hence he should not shy away from that fact,” he said.
Otunba Alao-Akala added, “He needs to sit down and brainstorm with people who have been there before him to share from their wealth of experience on how certain things are done especially in the area of security.Take for instance, at the national level, the president meets periodically with former Heads of State and former presidents, all former Chief Justices among others at the National Council of State meeting to review activities of government and seek advise and interventions where need be.”This is exactly what he needs in Oyo state at the moment. The peace and stability of Oyo state is a collective responsibility of all; we are all stakeholders in the Oyo state project. We have seasoned, well trained retired Generals who had been Military Administrators at one time or the other who are still alive, we have civilian governors who have been on that seat before Governor Makinde; so also are retired Chief Judges of the state who would have one or two pieces of advice to offer to nip in the bud all these security challenges before it gets out of control. Part of the duties of the Council of State is also to advise whenever requested to do so on the maintenance of public order within the federation and any part thereof and in such other matters as may be desired, so Governor Seyi Makinde will very much be in order if he convenes this strategic meeting as a stitch in time saves nine.”The Alliance for Democracy, (AD) governorship candidate for Oyo in the 2019 general elections, Engineer Oyedele Hakeem Alao on his part advised the Governor Makinde-led administration to wake up to the insecurity situation in the state and listen to voices of reasoning on the security challenges in the state.With the moves by the Oyo state government so far, one can say, all hope is not lost on security situation in Oyo state provided the present administration is determined to intensify its on going efforts on the security situation and possibly review some of the security arrangements put in place by the immediate past administration of late Senator Abiola Ajimobi in sustaining peace in most part of his eight year tenure.
