Following the alarm raised by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, security agencies in the South-West have intensified strategies aimed at stemming the influx of as well as rooting out bandits anywhere in the zone.
Acknowledging that Makinde was the chief security officer of Oyo State, hence must have been well-briefed, both the police and Amotekun said they were not taking lightly Makinde’s disclosure that bandits fleeing from the North-West to Oyo State as their new abode.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Thursday, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone XI, Osogbo, Patrick Edung, said efforts were being intensified in the areas of patrol, deployment of special squads, more robust intelligence gathering and collaboration with other security agencies, among others.
This was also as Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, alias Sunday Igboho, declared his readiness to join efforts with security forces to root out the bandits.
Also, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, called on South-West governors to redouble their efforts to secure the region following Makinde’s revelation.
The AIG, in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, also promised a quick response from the police to security threats, just as he solicited communities’ cooperation and support in ensuring security.
He said, “I want to assure the public that we take the allegations of bandit invasions in Oyo State very seriously.
“While we acknowledge the concerns raised by the governor, as the number one security officer of the state, I would like to provide an update on the measures we have put in place to secure our state.
“We have intensified patrols in all 33 local government areas, with a focus on vulnerable communities and flashpoints.
“More special squads have been drafted trained and deployed to vulnerable areas across the state.
“We are strengthening our community policing initiatives, working closely with local leaders, vigilante groups, and citizens to gather intelligence and prevent crimes.
“Our intelligence units are working around the clock to gather information on potential threats, identifying and disrupting bandit networks.
“We are collaborating with other security agencies, including the military, Department of State Services, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, to share intelligence and coordinate responses.
“We have developed an emergency response plan, which includes rapid deployment of personnel and resources to respond to any security incidents.
“We are engaging with citizens through various channels, including social media, town hall meetings, and community outreach programs, to raise awareness, gather feedback, and build trust.”
Speaking in the same vein, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, said police operatives in the state were alert and ready to crush any move to hurt the peace and security of the state.
The CP said, “Yes we are aware of the development regarding the North-West bandits coming to the South-West, we have our intelligence too, and we are leaving nothing to chance.
“The command is on alert and that is why we are also soliciting information from members of the public that can always help to fight crimes in the state,” Ogunlowo said.
Speaking with The PUNCH, the Commandant, Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun), Col. Olayinka Olayanju (retd.), said it has launched a manhunt for bandits lurking in the state.
Though he refused to disclose particular strategies deployed to achieve its objective, Olayanju assured that the moves in that regard had been activated.
“Manhunt for the bandits is ongoing. I can’t discuss operational strategies deployed in that respect, but be rest assured that efforts are ongoing accordingly,” Olayanju said.
Meanwhile, Yoruba Nation activist, Igboho, declared readiness to go after bandits hiding in forests across the South-West Region, provided the government permitted him.
Igboho, in a statement exclusively obtained by The PUNCH on Thursday, said, “I can’t fold my arms and refuse to stop the marauding bandits and herdsmen attacking, raping and killing my people engaging in farming and other legitimate activities in various communities.”
“I will go after the bandits and herdsmen lurking in the forests and some communities in the South West provided the government gives me the go-ahead to do so.”
“I am always ready to defend and protect my kinsmen anywhere in the South-West against the inimical activities of bandits and rogue herders, who have already infiltrated our forests.
“It is callous and unjustifiable for anyone or group of people to unleash violence on innocent farmers earning their living anywhere in Nigeria. Government and other relevant stakeholders must rise to ensure the safety of the citizenry.”
In the same vein, Afenifere, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, called on governments in the South-West to take the security of their areas more seriously.
Afenifere also charged traditional rulers and community leaders in different parts of Yoruba land not to keep quiet whenever they notice security threats.
“We call on all the governors of the South-Western states to, as a matter of urgency, hold a meeting to map out strategies to expel the bandits from the region and ensure that such elements do not infiltrate Yoruba land at any time again.
“For these objectives to be achieved, there is the need to carry certain groups along. These are the security agencies that will implement whatever security decisions reached, traditional rulers and heads of local vigilantes,” the organisation said.
It added that the strategies should incorporate attractive incentives for personnel and deployment of modern technologies.
“For example, until the governor made the revelation on Monday, such grave security danger was unknown to members of the public, yet people are living in the Fashola area where the bandits were reported to have established a camp.
“It is not unlikely that similar camps could be found in some other parts of the South West, hence the need for urgent and effective action,” the statement further read.
