Army’s role critical in internal security — Oyo Speaker

The Oyo State House of Assembly Speaker, Hon Adebo Ogundoyin, says the Nigerian Army plays a crucial role in improving internal security and addressing the rising insecurity in the country.

The Speaker, Ogundoyin, stated this on Friday at the II Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army Odogbo Ibadan, in continuation of the visit of the lawmakers to service chiefs in the state.

Ogundoyin said as the largest in West Africa, the Nigerian Army has continued to bear the brunt of the nation’s security challenges hence the need for more support in terms of logistics, training and morale-boosting for the soldiers.

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He explained that members of the ninth Oyo Assembly were at the Odogbo Barracks to seek for a working relationship with the military in the collective task of securing the lives and property of the residents of the state.

The Speaker maintained that the spate of insecurity continued to negatively affect the nation’s economy, adding that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government in Oyo State was placing high premium on security to enable the citizens to move about their daily activities without any intimidation as well as attract both local and foreign investors to the state.

Ogundoyin, who commended the collaboration of the Army with the other security agencies in the state in the past, called for more of such working relationship in addressing the problems of kidnapping, killer herdsmen among others in some parts of the state.

In his response, the General Officer Commanding II Division of the Nigerian Army, Odogbo Ibadan, Major General Okwudili Azinta lauded the lawmakers for the visit and assured that the Army would complement the efforts of other security outfits in order to have a peaceful and more secure state.

The GOC, who noted the government would not achieve its set objectives nor implement its policies in an atmosphere devoid of peace and security, expressed their resolve to support the activities of government at all levels.

While answering a question on the alleged firing of AK 47 rifles into some neighbouring communities during live firing practice at the Cantonment range, the GOC said it was virtually impossible for the projectile to travel up to a distance of 2000metres and wreck havoc as claimed.

He explained that the effective range of the main weapon, AK 47 rifles being fired at the range is only 800metres stressing that there is a stop-butt designed to absorb and prevent any projectile from travelling out of the range area during live firing.

He described the allegation by the communities as unfounded maintaining that most these communities had encroached on the land the Army, especially at Odogbo area of Ibadan.