Ibadan killing: Oyo Assembly tasks police to deploy Armoured Personnel Carrier to Idi Arere

Worried by the notoriety of some parts of Ibadan South West local government area of Oyo State for gang violence and its habitation of hoodlums, the Oyo House of Assembly, on Tuesday, called on the state government and security agencies to see to the stationing of Armoured Personnel Carrier at Idi Arere area of the local government.

Making mention of the killing of one Mr Waris Ayegbajeje at Iyana Asuni area in a June 19, 2019 pandemonium that saw various shops and properties vandalised, the Assembly noted that criminality continued to thrive because the area lacked a regular security presence.

The Assembly made these calls as part of its resolutions on a report presented by Chairman, ad-hoc committee on the perennial problem of gang violence in Ibadan South West 1 constituency, Honourable Abiodun Fadeyi, at Tuesday’s plenary.

Over time, areas like Idi-Arere, Iyana Asuni, Born Photo, Foko, Isale Asaka, Orita Merin, Popo, Yemoja and Isale Osi of the local government area have been known to be an abode for hoodlums, drug addicts, ex-convicts, miscreants with violent attacks recorded almost on a daily basis.

The Assembly had noted that the hoodlums usually hid under the guise of “egungun” festival to launch an attack on rival groups and others deemed to have crossed their ways.

Consequently, the Assembly held that regular presence of security personnel and installation of security surveillance cameras in those crime-prone areas in Ibadan South West constituency will help cushion the recurrence of violence.

Also noting that the nearest Mapo police station was several kilometres away, the Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin led Assembly urged the Governor Seyi Makinde led-government to urgently put plans in motion to set up a police station within the area.

In particular, the Assembly urged the police to deploy its personnel to the premises of some schools in Molete, to rid it off hoodlums.

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Furthermore, the Assembly urged the Oyo State police command to help reduce the excesses of commercial motorcycle operators in the state by implementing the state’s Control of Motorcycles Law, 2009 (as amended).

In another motion jointly sponsored by Honourables Mabaje Rasaq (Ido), Abiodun Fadeyi (Ona Ara) and Oladeji Olawumi (Ogbomoso North), the Assembly has asked the administration of all local government areas and local council development areas of the state to utilise the 33 excavators purchased by the immediate past government of Senator Abiola Ajimobi to clear waterways and dredge rivers in their domains.

The Assembly gave this mandate owing to the usual overflow of river banks in Ibadan areas like Omi Adio, Jamoje, Ose, Ariyo and Advin Bolana, Iwagba, Odo Alamo and Igbo Agboyin areas of Ogbomoso.

Commenting on the motion, Honourable Olasunkanmi Babalola of Egbeda constituency had questioned the extent to which the plan of the immediate past government to dredge 64 rivers was implemented.

With the current rainy season, the motion had also noted that the several bridges across the state like the Igisogba/Anisere bridge, had become weak, and needed to be rehabilitated under the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project to avert a looming disaster.

Lending her voice to the prayers of the motion, Honourable Oladeji had noted that attendant flooding in the state was attributable to indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the waterways by residents.

She, consequently, urged the state Ministry of Information and Culture to intensify efforts towards sensitising the citizenry on the danger of dumping refuse on waterways and other flood-prone areas.