A call has been made to the Federal Government and the Oyo State government to urgently readjust the security apparatus and plans to end the scourge of kidnapping in Nigeria, as the tide has significantly affected the economic prospects of the Oke-Ogun region.
The call was made on Sunday by the former Chairman of Iseyin Local Government, Alhaji Saheed Alaran, during the 2023 annual Independence Anniversary celebration by the Joint Action Forum (JAF) in Iseyin at the Aseyin palace.
Alaran, who was the guest lecturer at the event, spoke on the topic “Insecurity as an Impediment to Development in Oke-Ogun”, stating that a majority of business prospects, especially in the agriculture and allied industries, have been put on hold due to fear of kidnapping.
The politician highlighted different criminal tendencies in Oyo State, including armed robbery, kidnapping, cybercrime, and land grabbing, urging the federal and state governments to urgently revamp the country’s security system, equip personnel with better weapons, recruit more personnel, and compensate diligent services by personnel.
“Many well-meaning people in the state continue to complain that the zone is abandoned and needs government attention.
Although Oke-Ogun is richly blessed and incomparable to other zones in Oyo State and other regions in the south-west, the zone and its people continue to suffer from neglect and underdevelopment.
Their mineral deposits remain unharnessed, while the people live in poverty and mainly consider themselves relatively deprived of development.
“Among the notable causes of insecurity in the Oke-Ogun region are the poor state of roads and other infrastructure, which are being positively addressed by the State Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, and the proliferation of herdsmen and their cattle in the region.
“Consequences of insecurity in the region include wanton murder, bank and corporate robberies, kidnapping, arson, and even ethnic genocide between Fulani herdsmen and native host communities.
Banks in this region have been robbed, resulting in many casualties, and there have been reported cases of deliberate destruction of farm produce to make way for cattle grazing.
“Many business concerns that would have positively impacted our local economies through job opportunities, increased commercial growth, and savings by people have relocated elsewhere.
Those who had already established farmlands have abandoned them, as farmhands and managers were randomly picked and killed by kidnappers.
“We call on President Bola Tinubu and Governor Seyi Makinde to urgently revamp our security system in Nigeria and Oyo State, equip personnel with adequate weaponry, and employ more personnel.
Considering the population of Iseyin alone and the number of police officers being less than two hundred,” he lamented.
He also called on parents to provide their wards with good parental care, as the menace of cybercrime, popularly known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo,’ is on the rise in the Oke-Ogun side.
He added that parents of young boys and girls engaging in this illicit crime have been reported to be forming associations and seeking spiritual help for their children.”
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