Increasing kidnapping, killings require multilevel policing — South-West Speakers 

As the spate of kidnapping, killings and armed robbery spread breathtakingly across Nigeria, the South-West Conference of Speakers of State legislatures has further advanced the calls for a multilevel policing (state police) to curb the deteriorating trend.

A delegation of the South-West State Assemblies Legislative heads made the call on Tuesday when they visited the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin at the state chamber in Ibadan, the state capital.

The delegation led by the Chairman of the Zone and Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt Honourable Adeoye Stephen, said the recent recurring cases of abductions and killing ravaging the country has strongly necessitated the need for state policing.

The Oyo Assembly Speaker, who disclosed this in a tweet on his verified handle on Tuesday, said the delegation also used the opportunity to advance the call for regional legislative integration and need for synergy and cross fertilization of legislative ideas among others.

“A delegation of the SouthWest Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures in Nigeria led by the Chairman of the zone who doubles as the Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Adeoye Stephen Aribasoye visited me in Ibadan today as part of efforts to promote synergy, collaboration and cross fertilization of ideas amongst State Legislatures in the Southwest.

“On the entourage of the Chairman were Speakers of Ondo and Osun States, Rt. Hon Olamide Oladiji Adesanmi and Rt. Hon Adewale Olumide Egbedun respectively, majority and minority leaders from the three State Assemblies as well as other members.

“The visit afforded the team the opportunity to advance the call for regional legislative integration, multilevel policing (State Police) in the Southwest in view of the recurring cases of kidnapping, armed robbery, assassination and other crimes including need for synergy and cross fertilization of legislative ideas among others,” Ogundoyin stated.

He added that “In the course of the visit, the delegation paid a courtesy call on His Excellency, Engr Seyi Makinde and commiserated with him and the entire residents of Oyo State on the unfortunate explosion which rocked Bodija area of Ibadan on Tuesday, 16th January, 2024.

“To demonstrate our leadership and continuous readiness to champion the course of the zone, His Excellency, Engr Seyi Makinde graciously approved the hosting of the general meeting of all state lawmakers in the Southwest in Oyo State to serve as a platform to kickstart the process of Southwest regional legislative integration.”

“In my brief remarks, I commended the delegation for the visit and described It as a viable way of promoting and strengthening the Southwest Legislative institution.”