Osun: Nine years after, Reps move motion to restore banking in Ikirun

About decade after a series of deadly armed robbery attacks forced banks to shutter their operations, a member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Olusoji Adetunji, is spearheading a motion to restore crucial banking services to Ikirun and other communities in Odo-Otin/Ifelodun/Boripe Federal Constituency of Osun State.

This move to bring back banking services in Ikirun is a significant development for the community.

During Tuesday’s plenary, presided over by Speaker Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abass, Hon Adetunji raised a serious alarm over the prolonged absence of banking facilities, emphasizing that access to banking activities is a fundamental right and necessity that no Nigerian community should be denied.

He warned that the current situation poses a grave threat to economic activity, citizen safety, and financial inclusion within the region.

The motion, titled “Urgent Need for Strengthened Security to Restore Banking Operations in Odo-Otin/Ifelodun/Boripe Federal Constituency of Osun State,” was seconded by Rep. Mudashiru Lukman Alani.

Adetunji, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, recounted the chilling history of violence that led to the banking paralysis.

He specifically cited a devastating coordinated robbery on February 12, 2016, which targeted three commercial banks in Ikirun and resulted in ten fatalities. Subsequent attacks, including a deadly assault on another commercial bank in Iragbiji on September 28, 2021, claiming four lives, as well as similar tragedies in Okuku and Iree communities, have compounded the problem.

“These violent attacks have paralyzed all banking operations in the constituency and exposed residents to serious hardship,” the lawmaker stated. “Many now travel 30 to 50 kilometers to Osogbo for basic financial services, risking their lives and further straining their livelihoods.”

Further stressing the precarious security situation, the Chairman of the Nigeria-Brazil parliamentary friendship group expressed deep concern over the constituency’s fragile security framework.

Accodingto him, despite a population exceeding 800,000 and covering 540 square kilometers, the area is currently policed by only six divisions, approximately 420 personnel, and a single functional patrol vehicle – a force far from adequate to protect residents and infrastructure.

Quoting Section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees citizens’ right to life and security, Adetunji emphasised the government’s constitutional obligation to protect its people and facilitate socio-economic development.

In his appeal, the Osun federal lawmaker urged the Federal Government to establish and implement a robust, long-term security architecture designed to curb persistent armed robbery attacks and facilitate the safe reopening of banks in the constituency.

He also called on the Inspector General of Police to immediately deploy sufficient and well-equipped security personnel, supported by modern weaponry, communication tools, and operational vehicles, to restore peace and confidence across the three local government areas.

READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE