Insecurity: Governors at mercy of police, other security agencies – Makinde

Governor ‘Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, says Governors of all states in the federation are at the mercy of federal security agencies, including the police to implement certain laws that will curb insecurity in their domains.

Makinde stated this in Igbo Ora while meeting with selected stakeholders from Ibarapa zone over the security situation in the area.

“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 South West came together and formed Amotekun as a stop-gap.

On the enforcement of anti-grazing law, the governor declared that such is an area where state police would have helped.

“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.”

On the deployment of additional Amotekun operatives, the governor said: “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.”

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the governor as saying that the state has approved the setting up of Peace and Security Committee at the local government levels, adding that the state government would put in place other security measures to ensure peace in the area.

He 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.”

The governor 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.

The statement added that the governor commiserated with the families that have lost loved ones to the insecurity situation, saying: “So, 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.