Metro
‘We can’t solve insecurity challenges with criminality’- Makinde
Oyo state governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde emphasized that his administration would not try to solve the insecurity challenges in his state by backing those bent on taking laws into their hands or carrying out jungle justice against perceived wrongdoers.
The governor stated that instead of backing a venture that is capable of throwing the country into ethnic crisis, the end of which cannot be foreseen, his administration would rather continue to support the security agencies in the state to do their works effectively.
He stressed that his government would promote good neighbourliness by encouraging the residents of the state to live together in peace and to face their common enemies, who are criminals of all shades and tribes.
Governor Makinde also stated that the administration will continue to do its best to provide opportunities for the people, as that is another way to reduce the tension in the land, saying: “One of the things we found out is that opportunities are very limited at the top. We will continue to do our best to strive to expand our economy and provide opportunities for a whole lot of our people. And we believe when we do that, the tension will definitely go down.”
The governor stated these in Akure, while addressing a meeting of South-West governors, national leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association (MACBAN) and heads of security agencies on the insecurity challenges in the South-West geopolitical zone, held at the International Culture and Event Centre, Akure.
Speaking further, Makinde declares that his government had foreclosed the option of backing anyone taking up arms against other ethnic nationalities resident in the state in the name of seeking justice as, according to him, such a step would have dire consequences for the society.
He stated that if government encourages residents to mete out justice through self-help to any ethnic nationality, due to the excesses of some of its people, it would amount to solving criminality with criminality.
The meeting had in attendance Governors Rotimi Akeredolu, Kayode Fayemi and Gboyega Oyetola of Ondo, Ekiti and Osun states, while Governors Mohammed Badaru (Jigawa), and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and the national leadership of MACBAN were also present.
According to Makinde, who maintained that a lot of people commenting on the security situation in Ibarapa had been displaying ignorance, his government would solve the insecurity challenge its own way by continuing to encourage residents of the state to work and live together and to face their common enemies, who are criminals, kidnappers, armed robbers and bandits from all tribes.
He added that all hands must be on deck to lawfully fight crimes, saying: “We will continue to promote good neighborliness among our people and we will ensure that all of us go after the criminals together.
“We will continue to support our security agencies because they are also trying to maintain law and order in an atmosphere of pandemic and economic challenges. We will continue to provide support for the security agencies for them to do their work.”
The governor equally warned Nigerians to deal with the menace of fake news and sieve information on social media properly, noting that the rate at which fake news is being circulated portends great danger to the society.
Makinde warned against some elements seeking political powers at all costs, who he said, have resorted to misinforming the public and causing division among them, calling on such persons to desist from the path, as it is capable of causing tension in the country.
He said: “I can tell you for a fact that when the Kisi area of Oyo State, which shares international border with Republic of Benin was invaded, all hands were on deck. MACBAN, Operation Burst, local hunters and the communities all worked together to clear the bush.
“During my electioneering, a major decision I was going to take was to scrap all the LCDAs in Oyo State and stick with only the LGAs that are known to the constitution of Nigeria. During the campaign, all the people I met at a particular LCDA (I think it is Oriire South) were Fulanis. And they told me I should not scrap the LCDA because it was the only LCDA dominated by the Fulani people.
“After I got elected, I decided I would not scrap the LCDAs again. I didn’t get such knowledge by sitting in the armchair in my house but by going out into the field and interacting with the people.
“So, when people talk, you wonder if they have done any kind of comparison with what has happened elsewhere in the world. What are we going to do moving forward in Oyo State? Well, the first thing I will say is to tell you the things that we will not do; we will not use criminality to solve another criminality, because of the unintended consequences of such an action; nobody can predict where it will end.
“Once you are drawn out to support criminality, you don’t know where it is going to end. So, what we are going to do is to continue to encourage our people to work together; to face our common enemies – the criminals, the kidnappers, the armed robbers and the bandits. Those are our common enemies.”
He equally charged his colleague governors and others in positions of leadership not to be tired or to relent, saying: “I want to end by saying that our leaders should not be tired. They will abuse us but we should continue to strive to provide the leadership that this country requires at this point in time.”
While speaking earlier, the MACBAN Secretary, Alhaji Baba Othman Ngelzarma, who noted that the Miyetti Allah was meeting the South-West governors on the escalating crisis between herders and farmers, said the body will continue to encourage herders in the Southern part of the country to live in peace and eschew criminality.
At the end of the meeting, it was resolved, among other things, that night grazing and grazing by underage children would stop henceforth.
The Imo State Police Command has arrested three students of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), over the alleged killing of a 21-year-old undergraduate, Chinedu Chibuzor Christogonus, following accusations that he stole N13,500.
The victim, a 100-level Cyber Security student and member of the university’s Man O’ War organisation, reportedly died after he was allegedly assaulted by fellow members of the group.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Henry Okoye, disclosed this in a statement, saying preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased was allegedly restrained and severely assaulted, resulting in fatal injuries.
According to the police, the suspects are Chukwuemeka Benedict, 21; Kelechi Gospel Ikenna, 24; and Obioma Anastasia, 21, all 500-level students of the institution.
Okoye said the victim was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, after the incident but was confirmed dead by medical personnel.
He said, “Preliminary investigation reveals that the deceased, a 100-level student of Cyber Security and a member of the Man O’ War organisation in FUTO, was allegedly subjected to severe assault by some members of the organisation following an accusation of theft involving the sum of N13,500.
“Initial findings indicate that the deceased was allegedly restrained and assaulted, resulting in critical injuries.
He was subsequently rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, where he was confirmed dead by medical personnel.”
The police spokesman disclosed that the arrests were made on the directive of the Commissioner of Police in the state, Audu Garba Bosso, shortly after the incident was reported.
He added that relevant evidence had been recovered, while the victim’s remains had been deposited in a morgue pending autopsy.
Okoye further stated that the commissioner had ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Owerri for a comprehensive investigation.
Bosso, according to the statement, directed investigators to identify and question all persons linked to the incident, warning that anyone found culpable would face prosecution.
The police commissioner assured the deceased’s family, the university community and residents of a thorough and professional investigation, insisting that no suspect would be shielded regardless of status.
He urged residents to remain calm while investigations continue, reiterating the command’s commitment to ensuring justice for the deceased.
The Seriki Fulani of Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Abdullai Muhammadu, has been arrested by operatives of the Ogun State Police Command over alleged links to a kidnapping syndicate terrorising communities in Ijebuland, with detectives reportedly recovering a bag used for ransom payment from his kitchen.
Muhammadu, 67, who was arrested alongside his eldest son, Bello, however, denied involvement in kidnapping, insisting that although he knew one of his sons, Bala Muhammadu, had previously engaged in the crime, he believed the suspect had abandoned criminality after serving a prison sentence.
It was gathered that the arrest followed weeks of intelligence-led investigations by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Ogun State Police Command into repeated abductions in Ijebu Ode, Imodi, Irewon, Iwode, Okun Owa and neighbouring communities.
Investigators reportedly traced the incidents to Bala, a suspected kidnap kingpin who had recently regained freedom after serving a five-year jail term for kidnapping.
Police sources disclosed that operatives, led by the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, SP Bamidele Shirtu, stormed the family compound following credible intelligence but discovered that Bala and two of his brothers had fled moments before their arrival.
A police source informed that one of the bags allegedly used to deliver ransom to kidnappers was recovered in the suspect’s residence.
The source said, “After painstaking intelligence investigation, one of the bags used in ransom payment for one of the victims was recovered in the father’s kitchen.
“One of the children in the compound saw operatives entering the community and alerted Bala and his brothers. They escaped through the bush before security operatives got there.
“It is not only Bala involved in kidnapping. There is also Ndaji and another brother, and we are on their trail. There was an upsurge in kidnapping around the area after Bala regained freedom from prison, where he spent five years for the same offence.”
Speaking after his arrest, Muhammadu maintained his innocence, stressing that he had lived peacefully in Yorubaland for over three decades.
“My name is Muhammadu Abdulai. I am a cattle rearer and farmer. I have lived in Yorubaland for more than 30 years. I have four wives and 30 children. I was honoured with the title of Seriki Fulani in Ijebu Ode by the immediate past Awujale,” he said.
The traditional Fulani leader denied knowledge of the recovered ransom bag.
“I don’t know anything about the bag found in my house. I live in the same compound with my wives and children. I have never kidnapped anybody in my life,” he stated.
Muhammadu, however, admitted that Bala had a history of kidnapping.
“I know Bala was into kidnapping. He was arrested and sent to prison. After he returned, I took him to the hospital because he was very sick and spent one month receiving treatment.
“I thought he had changed because he returned to farming and cattle rearing. I didn’t know he had gone back to kidnapping. I am not involved in kidnapping and will never encourage it,” he added.
Also speaking, Bello Muhammadu, the eldest son arrested alongside his father, denied involvement in criminal activities, saying he was on the farm when policemen stormed their residence.
He said, “I am not into kidnapping. I only know Bala had been arrested and imprisoned some years ago. I don’t know anything about what he or my brothers are doing.
“If my father knew Bala had returned to crime, he would not support him.”
Confirming the operation, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, CSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the success recorded against kidnappers and other violent criminals in the state was made possible through the support of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the operational leadership of the Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni.
Babaseyi said the operation, which led to the arrest of suspects and recovery of incriminating exhibits, reflected the professionalism, bravery and intelligence-driven approach of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit.
He assured residents that sustained efforts were ongoing to dismantle criminal syndicates operating within Ogun and neighbouring states while urging members of the public to support security agencies with credible information.
President Bola Tinubu on Monday vowed that all students, pupils and teachers abducted during last Friday’s attack on schools in Oyo State would be rescued, as he ordered an intensified manhunt for the perpetrators following the reported killing of one of the kidnapped teachers.
The President, who described the killing as barbaric and unacceptable, assured residents that security agencies were working round the clock to secure the victims’ release and bring the abductors and their collaborators to justice.
The attack occurred in the Esiele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where armed bandits invaded schools and abducted staff, students and pupils of Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School, triggering outrage and anxiety among residents.
Tinubu’s assurance was contained in a statement issued on Monday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Reacting to the incident, the President sympathised with Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, the state government and families of the abducted victims, while commending steps already taken by the governor to address the situation.
“I am saddened by the reported killing of one of the teachers kidnapped by the gunmen who invaded the community. I sympathise with Governor Seyi Makinde and commend the steps he has taken on the matter. I sympathise with the families of the kidnapped victims,” Tinubu said.
He disclosed that the Federal Government had activated a joint rescue operation with the Oyo State Government, expressing optimism that security agencies would soon secure a breakthrough.
“The Federal Government is working with the Oyo State government to rescue all the victims,” he added.
Tinubu also commended the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioners of Police in Oyo and Kwara states for their swift intervention, particularly the deployment of tactical teams and operatives of the Intelligence Response Team.
According to the President, the Inspector-General of Police is personally leading a technology-driven operation aimed at tracking the abductors and dismantling their network.
“The IGP, following my instructions, is personally leading the tech-driven operation. We expect a breakthrough soon. The bandits and all their local collaborators will be fished out and made to face the full wrath of the law,” the President stated.
Tinubu further renewed calls for the establishment of state police, arguing that the growing wave of kidnappings across parts of the country had exposed security gaps in underserved communities.
“Cases of kidnapping further make imperative the establishment of state police to man some of our underserved areas. The National Assembly should accelerate the enactment of the law creating state police,” he said.
The latest attack has heightened concerns over insecurity in Oyo State, with residents calling for urgent action to curb rising abductions targeting schools and rural communities.
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