Insecurity: Southwest Governors Call for Vigilance, State Police at Security Summit …IGP Proffers Lasting Solutions

Ololade Adeyanju/

Six governors and other stakeholders in southwest Nigeria spoke with one voice in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, today calling for the establishment of state police and immediate actions to stem the tide of rising crimes, especially kidnappings in the region.

The governors from Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo along with security chiefs and Yoruba leaders and scholars took the stage at a security summit organized by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission to address the issue of insecurity in Southwest Nigeria.

According to the host governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, the event was the first ever stakeholders’ security summit held since 2013 when the DAWN Commission was set up by the governments of the states of Western Nigeria as an institution to midwife and manage the Southwest regional development agenda as defined in a strategy roadmap.

“We are beginning to feel the heat of insecurity in the Southwest,” Makinde said. “The time to act is now. We are in support of state police.”

“The summit is made necessary by the level of insecurity in the southwest,” Ondo State governor, Arakunrin Olurotimi Akeredolu said as he declared the event open with a 30-minutes address in which he urged those in the Southwest to take the issue of socio-economic integration seriously.

Calling for constant alertness, Akeredolu said that today’s criminals “are blind to class; they kidnap just anybody”.

“We are not denying that we are under siege,” he said, as he described the Yoruba people as a sophisticated race that welcome people to set up business in their land and thrive.

He urged other tribes to learn from the Yoruba who accommodate people and protect the weak, but warned that those people are welcomed “provided the interest of our people is not in jeopardy”.

Urging the people to hold governors accountable for security lapses, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State who is the Chairman, Nigeria’s Governors Forum, described the rise in kidnapping and banditry in the southwest region as a worrisome development as he called on the citizens to be vigilant.

Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Sanwo-Olu stressed the need to strengthen the judicial system, create state and neighborhood police and mobilize traditional rulers, teachers and students for a sustainable campaign against crime.

Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, spoke of steps being taken by his government to create jobs and uplift people as he argued that fighting crimes “is not a matter of acquiring arms and ammunition”. He said that it required education and better grassroots engagement.

The governor, State of Osun, Mr Gboyega Oyetola said that the police should be highly funded and well equipped as he called for the deployment of technology in crime control.

The event was attended by several traditional rulers from the Southwest and the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams.

The gathering was also addressed by the first Professor of Criminology in Nigeria, Prof. Femi Odekunle; Prof. Olutayo Charles Adesina who heads the Department of History at the University of Ibadan, and Yoruba elders from various groups, as well as the Southwest leader of Miyetti Allah, Alhaji Mohammed Kabir.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Muhammed Adamu who was represented at the event by Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Taiwo Lakanu in his goodwill message presented a list of actions that the police have taken to stem the tide of rising crime, including the launch of Operation Puff Adder that has led to the arrests of hundreds of criminals and recovery of several arms and ammunition.

He said, “The gathering here today, made up of eminent personalities could not have been more apt for this time. The gathering underscores the importance of security to social, economic and political life and stability and this is captioned in the constitutional provision that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. Chapter 2, section 14(b) CFRN 1999, so the meeting is for a common purpose, to discuss security challenges in the South West with a view to proffering solutions to them.

“The summit is expected to provoke ideas galvanized by pragmatic approaches to solving our security challenges. It is obvious that there is no nation that is insulated from crime and criminality, therefore security challenges are not peculiar to the Southwest or to Nigeria. It is the preponderance or prevalence that varies from one society to another. But what is important is the ability to address these issues headlong.

“I am particularly glad that we are now more conscious of the imperative of collaboration, the indispensability of common front to fight our common enemies who make lives miserable by their nefarious activities. Governors are central and their enviable roles pivotal to security of their states. The people are also cardinal in the overall security architecture. This is why everyone who desires peace, and adequate protection must establish with the police and other relevant security agencies, a symbiotic relationship that will foster, or engender the much-desired peace and tranquillity in our various communities.

“As part of our efforts to address the security challenges in the Southwest, we have reviewed and improved on our security strategies across the country, dealing with the states according to their peculiar challenges. We have given additional PMF personnel, Intelligence Response Team, vehicles and other logistic support to Zone XI Osogbo to enable it to deal with recent security challenges in some parts of Ondo, Osun and Oyo states. The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, NPM, mni in his usual concern for the security of this country recently launched the ‘Operation Puff Adder’ as a new operational outfit to complement existing security apparatus throughout the country. This outfit has since been replicated in all the 12 zones and the 36 states including the FCT.

“I want to reassure the citizens that the Nigeria Police has emplaced frameworks that will facilitate the strengthening of Operation Puff Adder and ensure the sustenance of its gains. This includes plans directed at re-organizing and re-launching the Safer Highway and Safer City Models of Policing which will entail the acquisition of a new fleet of vehicles that will be deployed to dominate the public space as well as the emplacement of CCTV and other cutting-edge technologies for city surveillance.

“The current attempts at adopting and implementing the concept of Community Policing also represents part of enduring strategies aimed at changing the policing narratives of the country. This will ensure the effective integration of the citizens to our internal security framework, guarantee the concept of policing by public consent and build partnership required to address peculiar communal threats.

“Since its inauguration, the new outfit has made very significant achievements in the fight against kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry and other heinous crimes. In Zone XI, the Security Stakeholders’ Forum was inaugurated on 25th April 2019 to provide a more encompassing platform for individuals, associations and corporate organisations to contribute meaningfully to the security of the zone.

“We cannot but appreciate the support of the state governors. Your contributions in terms of logistic support to your respective states have added impetus to security and are largely responsible for the relative peace in the states. However, there is still a need for more support to enable us to address our security challenges adequately. We all admit that there is a gap, and the need to find the missing link is the reason for the gathering.”

Armed with a PowerPoint Presentation on security as it affects Zone XI, comprising Oyo, Osun, and Ondo states, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of the zone, Mr Leye Oyebade, listed the challenges in the region and how the police are tackling the problems.

To ensure adequate security in the Southwest, Oyebade placed four recommendations before the stakeholders. They are:  

1. Increasing the number of vehicles and speed motorbikes to curtail the excesses of the undesirable elements (Policing on Land).
2. Improving policing at the riverine areas to curb their escapades on the waterfronts, and exit points through the same (Policing on Water).
3. Introducing aerial surveillance to provide effective monitoring of hoodlums’ activities from the air space (Aerial Surveillance).
4. Incorporating Science Technology Innovation (STI), with appropriate software applications to complement our operational efforts in the security space, especially in addressing heinous crimes viz – kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery, etc (Technological driven Policing).

In his presentation, Oyebade said, “While it cannot be denied that the Nigeria Police Force is doing its best to protect Nigerians and defend our democracy, the point must be made that there are still challenges. Challenges such as kidnapping, armed robbery, burglary, cattle rustling, insurgency and other crimes and criminality still occur in some parts of the country. The Zone is obviously one of the most peaceful in the country. The relative peace in the three states under the Zone would not have been achieved but for the support of Mr President, the three state Governors, the Inspector-General of Police and his management team, the good people of the Zone as well as the dedication and commitment of officers and men in the three states.

“I am happy to inform you that we have been able to put criminals at bay in the Zone. We have also arrested many armed robbery suspects, kidnap suspects, suspected ritualists, burglars, and recovered cache of arms and ammunition, stolen vehicles, motorcycles, and other valuable property across the Zone especially since the launch of the ‘Operation Puff Adder’ in the three states. While some of the cases are still under investigation, others have been charged to courts…

“Recently, the Inspector General of Police deployed additional PMF men, Patrol Vehicles and Intelligence Response Team (IRT), to augment the existing structure. This has further assisted the Zone in depleting the strength of hoodlums who engaged in criminal activities, especially along the Ibadan-Ife highway and Iwaraja axis.

“These modest achievements notwithstanding, there is still room for improvement. Of course, there are obvious challenges militating against effective policing especially in the Zone. These challenges, though not insurmountable, include some logistic problems and other infrastructural deficiencies. “

Oyebade added that in spite of the inherent encumbrances, “the vision of the Nigeria Police Force is ‘to be a leading national, professional and efficient law enforcement organization’. It is also the mission of the Force ‘to provide safety and security in Nigerian communities, protect and respect human rights, and promote community partnership in preventing and controlling social order’. We do have a vision which rests on the tripartite of problem-solving, community partnership and organizational transformation.

“It is our resolve to ensure that this mission is accomplished in the Zone. The peace and tranquillity we envision cannot be accomplished as long as the perennial problems earlier mentioned continue to stare us in the face. I am optimistic that this summit will help articulate further ideas to achieve optimal security in the Zone through the collaboration of all relevant stakeholders.

“The dynamism and propensity of crimes and criminality in Nigeria in general and in the Zone, in particular, requires a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional approach if we must succeed in providing quality service that we all desire. The expectation that community policing will solve all security challenges will be a mirage without meaningful contributions from the public. Hence, in our effort to address the challenges we established the Zonal Security Stakeholders’ Forum on 25th April 2019. The Security Stakeholders’ Forum comprising representatives of the three state governors, traditional rulers, captains of industry, PCRC and other prominent individuals, serves as a platform through which communities, individuals, and corporate organizations can make their contributions to security. Since its inauguration, the Security Stakeholders’ Forum has lived up to expectation.

“In order to properly have a grasp of the security situation in Ondo, Osun and Oyo States, I embarked on a familiarization visit to the component parts of the Zone to evaluate the operational efficiency and readiness of officers and men in carrying out their constitutional duties as previously enumerated. My interaction with my men showed officers and men who were (and are still) determined to carry out their mandate with renewed vigour and patriotism, but the logistics to do it are inadequate.

“During my last visit to the Marine Police in Igbokoda in the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, it was discovered that this important department needs support. Intelligence at our disposal revealed that criminals after committing crimes in the hinterlands, use the waterfronts as escape routes hence there is urgent need to police the riverine areas effectively. No fewer than 12-speed boats including gunboats are required for effective anti-piracy/crime patrol, enforcement of navigational laws, rescue/recovery mission and other operations.

“In all of this, our joy is that there is succour. We strongly believe that if the state governors can continue their usual support, we would solve many if not all our logistic problems. Although the Governor of Ondo State has promised to support us with some speed boats to police the riverine areas, there is a dire need for a modern jetty for the Marine Police so that the boats could be properly placed at the harbour. The few boats available are inadequate to police the riverine communities some of which share boundary with Edo state by Akotogbo/Ijosun/Agadagba, Ogun state by Orioke/Atijere and Ibiade/Abigi waterside. Similarly, the Governor of State of Osun promised to build a modern helipad. We also require well equipped, sophisticated helicopters to enhance aerial surveillance.”

All security agencies and groups in the Southwest were represented at the event, including officers of the customs, immigration, NSCDC, and the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) led by its the Deputy Commandant General, Southwest, Chief Jimoh Aliu.

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