Oyo, Kwara governors meet over influx of Igangan herders into Kwara

The governments of Oyo and Kwara State are set to form a team to deal with issues connected with the influx of herders into Kwara State from Igangan in Oyo State.

Information had emerged at a meeting between the leadership of the two states, on Tuesday, at Oyo State governor’s office, Ibadan, that the herders who left Igangan had spread across 13 villages and seven local government areas in Kwara State.

While Governor Seyi Makinde headed the Oyo State delegation at the meeting, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasq led the Kwara delegation which comprised its top government officials, traditional rulers and security chiefs.

Present at the well-attended meeting were Secretary to the Oyo State government, Olubamiwo Adeosun, Secretary to the Kwara State government, Professor Mamman Saba Jibril, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Bamidele Omozoje; Garrison Commander, 2 Division, Brig-Gen Adesoji Ogunsugba; Commander, Nigerian Air Force, Ibadan, Group Captain Mohammed Sullaiman.

Others are Commissioner of Police, Oyo, Ngozi Onadeko; Commissioner of Police, Kwara, Mohammed Bageega; Director, DSS, Kwara, Patrick Ugoh; Commandant, NSCDC, Oyo and Kwara; Comptroller of Immigration, Oyo and Kwara; Commandant, NDLEA, Oyo and Kwara.

Also in attendance are Chairman of Amotekun Corps in Oyo State, Gen Kunle Togun (retd); Director-General of Amotekun Corps, Col Olayinka Olayanju (retd); Special Advisers on Security Matters to the two governors; Director-General, Operation Burst, Col Ajibola Oladipo (retd); Emir of Ilesha Ibaruba, Prof Halidu Abubakar; Emir of Okuta, Alhaji Idris Abubakar; Emir of Yashikira, Alhaji Umaru Sanki.

Briefing journalists after the meeting that lasted over an hour, Governor Makinde said the working team, to be set up, will look at the challenges of maintaining the displaced persons that left Oyo for Kwara state.

Noting that the issue had a wider national outlook, Makinde said the working team will be tasked to look at the challenges and come up with solutions that the two-state governments of Oyo and Kwara can implement in dealing with the displaced herders.

Makinde said: “We agreed that more detailed working team is to be set up between Oyo and Kwara States. We know that the issues to be addressed have wider national ramifications.

“They asked somebody to leave Igangan and that has created issues in Kwara State, where internally displaced persons now are spread over 13 villages and seven local government areas in Kwara State with its attendant challenges on the maintenance of those individuals.

“But we believe that the working team to be set up should be able to dispassionately look at those challenges and come up with solutions, with myself and my brother, the governor of Kwara State, will be able to look at, and then solve.

“Also, the National Livestock Transformation Plan that is currently not being implemented in Oyo State, but Kwara State has started its implementation over a year ago.

“So, we believe this is natural learning from Kwara State that Oyo State may be able to take advantage of. And this should lead to further collaboration at the economic and security levels.”

He however attributed the challenges of security faced in the state to failure of intelligence.

Makinde called for a deepening of intelligence to enable the state to be more proactive in dealing with security issues rather than being reactive.

He particularly noted the need for traditional rulers in the border towns of Oyo and Kwara states to share intelligence and exchange information to aid security agencies to nip in the bud issues of insecurity before they escalate.

“We have also taken notice of the fact that our intelligence-gathering effort has to be deepened. Some of the situations that we have been faced with recently, where we have to react instead of being able to act before those things actually erupt are due to some intelligence failures.

“The meeting noted that we should deepen our intelligence-gathering effort and traditional rulers on both sides of our border towns within Oyo and Kwara States will be encouraged to come together in fostering unity and exchange of information. That way, our intelligence agencies will be able to proactively deal with the situation, rather than being reactive.

“We had a joint security meeting. We acknowledged the efforts of our security agencies and thank them for the work they are doing for our country. We do appreciate them and we encourage them to do more. We also acknowledged the fact that non-state actors might be getting upper hands in communicating and spreading hatred within our country.

“So, we ask that our leaders must speak with one voice, especially at the Nigerian Governors’ Forum. We have to be firm and we have to be decisive in dealing with the security challenges that we are currently faced with,” Makinde added.

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