We’ve turned the heat on kidnappers, criminals in Ibarapa, Oke-Ogun ― Makinde

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State on Monday declared that the state government has turned the heat on kidnappers and criminals in Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun axis of the state.

Makinde who made this declaration during his visit to different spots in Ibarapaland said that his administration will get the criminals to account for their heinous acts in the state.

Noting that the state could not afford further loss of lives, he avowed that his government had put measures in place to deal with criminals.

Some of these measures, according to Makinde, include the setting up of a peace and security committee at the local government levels and the stepping up intelligence gathering in the area.

He added that apart from the immediate deployment of 200 additional Amotekun Corps to Ibarapaland, he has also instructed that the agency and other security apparatuses step up on intelligence gathering.

This is as he donated four operation vehicles to the Oyo State Security Network (Amotekun), on Monday.

Furthermore, Makinde said the government will convene a meeting with traditional rulers in Ibarapaland in the next few days with a view to coming up with recommendations on the situation.

He, however, noted that such emergency situations should have been brought to the attention of the government long before it escalated.

He decried that the failure of communication, intelligence gathering led to the escalation of the crisis in the area.

Consequently, he urged political leaders, community leaders and stakeholders of the area not to shy away from seeking an audience with him wherever there is a gap that must be bridged or emergency situations.

Makinde’s tour of Ibarapaland saw him visit the homes of Dr Fatai Aborode and Mrs Idowu Babarinde who suffered losses to kidnappers.

He stated that the government will compensate victims of the insecurity situation in Ibarapaland.

He said: “We are turning the heat on the criminal elements and we will surely get them.

“So, I have listened to you. I came here purposely to sleep over to demonstrate that your problem is also my problem. If you cannot sleep with your two eyes closed, I also have no business sleeping with my two eyes closed in Ibadan.”

The governor equally enjoined residents of the state not to stigmatise any particular ethnic group but to search out the real enemies who he said are the kidnappers, bandits, rapists, hoodlums and armed robbers.

At the home of the Aborodes, where the governor commiserated with the father of the late Aborode, Governor Makinde said: “I want to tell you that I feel your pain because when I saw the news of the death of Dr Fatai Aborode, I was seriously pained.

“In 2017, when we were striving to restructure the PDP, we started meetings and put some people in some local governments. Dr Aborode was made the point man in Ibarapa North. I was at Ibadan in charge of Ibadan North-East and we did hold meetings at Premier Hotel. The situation is that if a tsetse fly perches on one’s private part, it requires wisdom to make it fly away or to kill it.

“Everybody is alleging that the Police are not giving us enough support while Amotekun and Operation Burst are really being supportive. But what the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states is that whatever bothers on internal security should be handled by the Police.

“That is why some of us have said the federal control of Police is limiting their performance. That was why we requested for State Police and we know it is a constitutional issue.

“So, when we got into government, we observed there was no State Police and we did not want to drop the idea. Those who were of the opinion that State Police may be used for political reasons also have their own point but if there is an alignment, people will see that the noticeable gap in policing should be bridged.

“When the discussion was going on, the IGP also agreed that there is a gap and that was why they recruited for community policing but we think that is not enough to bridge the existing gap. That was why we requested state policing and when we did not get that, we resorted to Amotekun as a stop-gap arrangement while the issue of the constitution review is going on.

“So, I would like to say that most of our compatriots have been cut down in their prime; we regret it and the solution is we must not lose more lives unnecessarily. That is very fundamental. So, anything we want to do, one thing that must guide us is the fact that we must not lose more lives.”

Governor Makinde stated that the crisis escalated due to failures on different fronts, saying: “There are failures on a number of fronts and one of the fronts we are witnessing failure was when some are saying they wrote letters to my office. I said I will love to see the acknowledgement copies to know where those letters are, who acknowledged them, and the prayers you made too.

“When I saw the acknowledgement letters, I saw that one of them was dated 27th of January, the earliest one was the 20th of January and that is when the cases had escalated.

“Anything about security, I approve instantly because most of the things we want to do in Oyo State, ranging from economy, good education for our children and other things are hinged on a safe and secure environment. I believe there is a failure in that communication.

“Any emergency situation must be treated as an emergency. There is nothing that should stop you (chairmen) from telling us there is an emergency situation, which requires you to sit down with the governor. So, I have seen the failure we have to address and we have to ensure that, moving forward, wherever there is a gap, we must bridge instantly.”

On the trust deficit between Fulani herdsmen resident in the state and the local residents, the governor stated that the state will fast-track the identity management scheme that will help to identify who lives where in the state, warning, however, everyone must strive to keep the peace.

“Some of the problems have been existing for years. It is not all Fulani people that are criminals, I must tell you. Some of those caught after a robbery operation at Okeho were Igbira from Kogi State.

“So, we must strive and do the work that can keep our environment safe. There are few things the government has promised to do and the central part of it, which we think will help our situation is identity management. We want to know who is where.

“This week, after the whole issue started escalating, I asked the committee we set up to look into that but they had already formed an inter-ministerial committee. Immediately I noticed, I dissolved it and gave the S.A on ICT single-point responsibility and a time-frame to get it done. This is an unusual time.

“What happened in Rwanda will not be our portion. If anyone wants to ignite war in Nigeria, it won’t be from here and won’t be under my own watch. We will find a solution to the challenges facing us because we know there are challenges.”

He also warned against attempts by some individuals to politicise the insecurity situation, noting that after his administration ends, the state would remain to face the consequences of their actions.

While speaking at Idere, the governor said though he could be accused of anything on the crisis in Ibarapaland, he could not be accused of not loving his people, saying that before he became governor, the people demonstrated love for him.

During the different stops, traditional rulers, political leaders, youth leaders and other stakeholders took turns to brief the governor of the challenges they have been dealing with in the hands of herdsmen from 2008 and kidnappers, especially in recent times.

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