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Residents lauds Oyo govt. security taskforce for efforts in taming hooliganism
Sequel to painstaking and concerted efforts towards ensuring peace and a violence free society, Oyo State Government Security Taskforce has been widely praised for its proactive efforts in taming acts of hooliganism in the state.
Ibadan residents, also paid glowing tributes to members of the Security Taskforce committee for their eagerness and readiness to rise against the suspected hoodlums who are terrorizing the notable places in the ancient city and its environs.
The showering of encomiums on Oyo Government Security Taskforce came in shortly after they mobilsed all the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and paramilitary officers to Idi-Aro, Kobomoje, Oranyan, Oja-Oba, Idi-Are re and others against the suspected hoodlums who are found culpable of terrorizing the places and subjecting the residents to tension, sleeplessness and fearful existence among others.
Report had it that the suspected hoodlums in the notable and famous places in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State have become untouchable and equally administering illegal governance, while they were alleged to have been precipitating the dastardly acts to make people to live in fear and while many have been relocating from the areas.
Members of the Taskforce under the leadership of former Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni, the Special Adviser on security to Governor Seyi Makinde were said to have mobilsed all the security men to the places where the suspected hoodlums have been alleged of setting many houses ablaze and render the occupants homeless.
Jamiu Sulaiman, a resident of Idi-Aro Ibadan, expressed appreciation to the State Government Security Taskforce for rising against the miscreants whose duties are premised on causing lawlessness, social disorder and residents’ sleeplessness in the community among other notable places in Ibadan.
Sulaiman , also commended the Divisional Police Officer, Idi-Aro Division, Sp Akinwande Aruna for his selflessness, readiness and professionalism exhibited to get rid of all the miscreants who are making the community tensioned on daily basis.
In a related development , Kayode Samuel, who hailed from Oja-Oba Ibadan lauded the Fatai Owoseni – led Security Taskforce, the Commissioner of Police, Mrs Ngozi Onadeko, Oyo State Police Command, Fredrick Faseun Group of Oodua Peoples Congress, Elder Mogaji Oloko, Soludero Security Outfit, Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Amotekun Security Network and others for their strength, patriotism and determination to stand up against the miscreants, in order to restore peace in the affected areas.
Samuel added that the combined efforts of Law Enforcement Agents and paramilitary officers had no doubt yielded fruitful results for the restoration of peace, togetherness and peaceful coexistence across the length and breadth of pacesetter state.
He, therefore encouraged them to summon more courage and exhibit professional tactics and strategies against the suspected hoodlums who are making people of the state to live in fear.
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has declared that the era of armed and bank robberies in Lagos State is a thing of the past, attributing the success to the collaborative efforts between the police and the state government.
Egbetokun made this statement on Thursday during the 18th Annual Town Hall Meeting on Security organized by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF). He noted that since 2007, only one bank robbery had been successfully executed in the state, which occurred in 2014.
“There was a time when armed robbery and bank robbery were common in Lagos. However, I can confidently say that since 2007, only one bank robbery succeeded, and that was as far back as 2014. The days of armed robbery and bank robbery are gone,” he said.
The IGP commended the Lagos State Government for its consistent support, emphasizing the critical role it has played in maintaining security in the bustling economic hub of the nation. He highlighted the challenges posed by the state’s continuous internal migration, with thousands of people moving into Lagos daily, creating additional security demands.
“What we are doing here today is the usual assistance the state government has been giving to the police. Without this, we would have been overwhelmed with insecurity in Lagos State,” Egbetokun added.
At the event, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu further demonstrated his administration’s commitment to security by donating over 250 brand-new patrol vehicles, along with hardware, communication gadgets, and protective gear to the police.
In his address, Sanwo-Olu outlined the government’s efforts to scale up the use of technology and data for improved security and traffic monitoring. He revealed plans to deploy drone technology for surveillance of waterways and densely populated areas.
“The EGIS component of our mapping and digitalization has almost been completed. Lagos is now properly mapped, and drone technology will be deployed to enhance monitoring, crowd management, and traffic assessment. This will ensure real-time responses to incidents,” the governor explained.
Chad announced Thursday that it was ending military cooperation with former colonial power France, just hours after a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
“The government of the Republic of Chad informs national and international opinion of its decision to end the accord in the field of defence signed with the French Republic,” foreign minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement on Facebook.
Chad is a key link in France’s military presence in Africa, constituting Paris’s last foothold in the Sahel after the forced withdrawal of its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
“This is not a break with France like Niger or elsewhere,” Koulamallah, whose country still hosts around a thousand French troops, told AFP.
At a press briefing after a meeting between President Mahamat Idriss Deby and Barrot, Koulamallah called France “an essential partner” but added it “must now also consider that Chad has grown up, matured and is a sovereign state that is very jealous of its sovereignty”.
Barrot, who arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday evening, could not immediately be reached for comment.
– ‘Historic turning point’-
Chad is the last Sahel country to host French troops.
It has been led by Deby since 2021, when his father Idriss Deby Itno was killed by rebels after 30 years in power.
The elder Deby frequently relied on French military support to fend off rebel offensives, including in 2008 and 2019.
It borders the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya and Niger, all of which host Russian paramilitary forces from the Wagner group.
Deby has sought closer ties with Moscow in recent months, but talks to strengthen economic cooperation with Russia have yet to bear concrete results.
Koulamallah called the decision to end military cooperation a “historic turning point”, adding it was made after “in-depth analysis”.
“Chad, in accordance with the provisions of the agreement, undertakes to respect the terms laid down for its termination, including the notice period”, he said in the statement, which did not give a date for the withdrawal of French troops.
The announcement comes just days after Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye indicated in an interview with AFP that France should close its military bases in that country.
“Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country,” Faye told AFP on Thursday.
The House of Representatives has confirmed the appointment of Olufemi Oluyede as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
While the constitution does not make provision for confirmation of appointments by the House of Representatives, the lawmaker adopted a report of its ad–hoc committee on the confirmation/screening of the Acting Chief of Army Staff and Thursday, confirmed the appointment of Lieutenant General Oluyede as the Chief of Army Staff.
Chairman of the committee Babajimi Benson in presenting the report, said Lt. Gen. Oluyede had satisfied all requirements.
