Ekiti State governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has called for a robust synergy between security agencies operating in the state and youths, describing this as a panacea to simmering crises emanating from alleged brutality being suffered in society.
Oyebanji said this in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, during a Youth, Students, and Security Stakeholders’ Engagement convened by the Ministry of Youth Development to foster synergy among stakeholders on security.
The stakeholder engagement was attended by the police commissioner, Adeniran Akinwale; the state commandants of NSCDC, Paul Sosina; the state director of the Department of State Services, Dr. Bolatito Olufemi; and other heads of security agencies in the state.
Specifically, the stakeholders’ meeting was convened to brainstorm and nip in the bud some of the alleged harassments of youths and students in Ekiti in recent times, as catalogued by a former student leader, Com Felix Olanrewaju, and other representatives, before it snowballs to anarchy.
To prevent the incidence of protests against security agencies in Ekiti as threatened by students and youths, Oyebanji, represented by the Special Adviser on Security Matters, Brig. Gen Ebenezer Ogundana (retd), urged the students to perceive the security agencies as friends and partners and help to expose criminals among their ranks to safeguard the state.
Oyebanji urged the representatives of the youths and students to review activities on the streets and campuses to ensure that those posing as security threats are exposed and treated with the long arm of the law.
Applauding the security for being zealous about the maintenance of relative peace being enjoyed in Ekiti, Oyebanji, however, assured the stakeholders that his government won’t look on and allow youth and students to be harassed under any guise.
The governor said, “Let the students and youth leaders go and tell their colleagues to always respect the law; this is the only way to build a just and violence-free society. Let us live together as family members. We all know the criminals among us; try to expose them.
“We know that not all the students and youth in Ekiti are criminals, but if the bad ones are not pointed out and used as scapegoats, then you will continue to suffer unduly. It is not right for you to shield criminals.”
Oyebanji advised the hoteliers operating in the state to be security conscious around their premises, saying their businesses shouldn’t be done at the expense of the security of the populace.
Speaking, the Commissioner for Youth Development, Adesola Adedayo, saluted the security agencies for partnering to combat crimes and safeguard the lives of the Ekiti populace but insisted that the occasional cases of brutality against youth and students should be halted for peace and mutual respect to be entrenched in the system.
Regarding the significance of the programme, Adedayo stated that it was conceptualised to further raise the safety measures in Ekiti and was not intended to diminish their contributions to the peace and stability being enjoyed in the state.
The commissioner said, “Every young person deserves to feel secure, valued, and treated justly within the borders of Ekiti. Trust between the community and security forces is the foundation of effective policing.”
The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Dayo Apata, SAN, and his counterpart in the Information Ministry, Taiwo Olatunbosun, commended Governor Oyebanji for making youth development and job creation pillars of his administration.
Olatunbosun urged the youths and students to be law-abiding wherever they are and have means of identification to avert cases of the brutality and injustice they suffered at the hands of security agencies.
He said the current government will continue to provide veritable and life-sustaining opportunities for youth and students to thrive and remain competitive under a 21st-century economy.
Giving an assurance of partnership among stakeholders to rid Ekiti of criminals, the Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale, said his personnel have a statutory duty to protect lives and property and ward off criminals from the state, saying they shall discharge the duty dispassionately.
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