Stop shielding criminals, Ajimobi tells highly placed individuals

The governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has warned eminent personalities in the state against shielding criminals in their domains, enjoining that such people should rather be exposed and made to face the law.

This was just as the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Sam Adegbuyi, pointed out that many security threats bedevilling Nigeria currently would be effectively managed if all would join hands to fight them by proffering solutions without ethnic, religious or political colouration.

The statements were made at the inauguration of Eminent Persons Forum at the command headquarters at Eleiyele, Ibadan, on Monday, which was attended by eminent personalities across different classes.

The state governor, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, appreciated the IGP’s initiative, just as he warned highly placed individuals against harbouring and protecting criminals.

Adeyemo pointed out that some of such notable individuals were usually the ones to pick their phones and call security agencies to release arrested suspects due to personal reasons, but emphasised that rather than do that, they should expose them.

He pledged the state government’s continuous support to the police through financial commitment to security so that they would be able to effectively combat crime, but said that the government could not do it alone.

The deputy governor enjoined the stakeholders to contribute to the established Security Trust Fund to assist the police and other security agencies to ensure peace and security.

According to the Commissioner of Police, the Eminent Persons Forum, an initiative of the current Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, “is the bringing together of personalities who are influential in their various fields of human endeavours.”

In the class of these personalities are top government officials, traditional rulers and chiefs, community and religious leaders, senior military and police officers (serving and retired), top government functionaries, labour union leaders, retired justices, lawyers, reputable journalists, market leaders as well as leadership of farmers and herdsmen, among others.

The police commissioner said that the forum aimed at ensuring active participation in security matters, rather than the passive stance of several communities.

He referred to the practice of community policing as “sine qua non to solving myriad of security problems confronting every nation,” adding that it had proved to be an “effective instrument for sustainable peace and tranquility needed for cultural, socio-political and economic activities to thrive, especially in a democratic society like ours.”

He enjoined the gathering to take the clarion call back to their domains as stakeholders so that it would help in contributing to the security of the state in particular and Nigeria generally.

The police commissioner also hinted that and additional two or three area commands would be added to the four that are currently in the state to further enhance security