Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has advocated state police as a solution to insecurity in Nigeria.
Makinde spoke on Sunday night in Igboora.
The governor met with stakeholders, including local government chairmen, in Oke-Ogun and political officeholders.
The stakeholders who attended the meeting include political office holders from Ibarapa Central, Ibarapa East, and Ibarapa North.
The governor said his administration has approved the setting up of the Peace and Security Committee at the local government levels.
He also disclosed that the government had directed the immediate take-off of an identity management programme to enable it to know who is who in the communities.
Makinde said: “The take-home from the interaction for me is that it is a collective problem and I can see the commitment from everybody to find a solution to this. And, at least, I am quite glad that some of the initiatives that the government is trying to put in place to stem insecurity are coming to fruition.
“We will ensure that our identity management programme takes off as quickly as possible. We will also ensure the setting up of peace and security committee that is all-encompassing in the councils.”
He also urged political office holders to always call the attention of the government to the happenings within their localities, saying that he decided to sleep over in Ibarapa to feel the pulse of the people.
According to the governor, he cannot sleep with two eyes closed in Ibadan if the people of Ibarapa are unable to sleep with two eyes closed.
The governor said: “This is also to let people know that I feel their pain because I have had a very close interaction with Dr. Fatai Aborode in the past. I commiserate with his family and many others who have lost loved ones to this situation.
“I feel the pain and I believe that with everybody coming together, we will be able to tackle the problem. Also, political office holders need to know that when they see something, they have to say something.”
The governor said state police would have helped to enforce anti-grazing law.
“Quite frankly, the governors are at the mercy of federal security agencies to implement certain laws. That was why we asked for state police. In the first instance, it is a constitutional issue and, in the absence of having that, governors in the Southwest came together and formed Amotekun as a stop-gap.
“Problems don’t go away completely. But, you have to keep working at it; keep pushing to get to where you really want to be and that is what we will keep doing. But the law is there, though the implementation has not been smooth, we will keep working at it.
“The 200 Amotekun Corps have been deployed. They are here and we are also supporting them with logistics by bringing four additional operational vehicles for them”, the governor added.
However, residents of Igangan on Monrday expressed displeasure over what they described as Makinde’s ‘late-coming’.
They also called for an immediate investigation of the roles played by the embattled Seriki Fulani of Oyo State, Abdulkadri Saliu, in the series of rape, kidnappings, banditry among other social vices that had rocked the region.
The youths protested at the Igangan Town Hall, the venue of a meeting facilitated by Makinde. They carried placards with various inscriptions calling for action on the rampaging killer herdsmen in the region. They also asked for adequate compensation for the victims and families of the herders’ onslaught.
The youths displayed the pictures and photos of the late Dr Aborode, who was killed on the way to his farm late last year, with a call on the government to find and prosecute the killers.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards read “Stop the Fulani massacre of Ibarapa people”, “#End Farmer’s bloodshed in Igangan”, “#Justice for all slain”, “#Fulani must stop raping our women”, “#Stop the Fulani massacre of Ibarapa people”, “We have bled enough”, “Correct your media aides Mr Governor, We are Ibarapa, not Oke-Ogun. Address us properly”, “Ibarapa lands are not Fulani Ruga”, “No more Seriki, no more carnage”, “Justice for all those who Fulani raped”.
The Vice President 2, Igangan Development Advocates, Mr Jamiu Ogungbenro, told the governor that the cries of the people were not exaggerated. He reeled out a list of indigenes of the community kidnapped between 2019 and 2020 and the ransom paid to facilitate their release.
”On February 8, 2019, they kidnapped the owner of Adolad filling station in Igangan; N15million ransom was collected.
“On 21st March 2020, Alhaji Lukman Jimoh Amubioya was kidnapped and a ransom of N2 million was paid.
“On 7th March 2020, Alhaji Wasiu Adetayo Adebimpe was kidnapped
“They kidnapped Alhaji Olusegun Olosunde who owns a filling station and N7.5million was collected.
“On 4th January 2021, Alhaji Monsuru Aderoju who is the son of our monarch was kidnapped and N4million ransom was collected.
“Also, I also have a list of about 24 people who were victims of herdsmen rape, banditry, and assassinations and who have not seen justice. Many of those killed have their pictures with the
“On 6th January 2019, a man was kidnapped by a river and was killed there. On 2nd June, 2019, a motorcyclist named Sule Danfo was macheted to death about 50metres from Saliu Abdulkadri, the self-acclaimed Seriki Fulani of Oyo State’s residence. The man was taken away by the kidnappers and killed very close to his residence.”
The meeting was interrupted when the youths were stopped from recording the proceedings which led to a rancorous session which also led to the youths staging a walkout.
The intervention of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Fatai Owoseni, helped to calm frayed nerves before normalcy was restored.
Makinde told the people that he was also feeling their pains. He assured the people that his administration would work with all stakeholders to ensure that the problems of insecurity in Ibarapaland were tackled collectively.
Makinde said: “You have shown me love and all that is happening, I can tell you that I also feel your pains.
“If you cannot sleep with your two eyes closed, those of us that you have sent into the government shouldn’t sleep as well with our two eyes closed. This same hall was where I came to canvass for votes and I can assure you that I have come to listen to you.
“Since almost 24hours here now and I am still in Ibarapaland because I don’t want anyone just to come and tell me in Ibadan what is happening here.”

By Yinka Adeniran