The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has approved the recruitment of additional 500 men for the Oyo State Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), codenamed Amotekun Corps, as part of his administration’s efforts at enhancing security of lives and property in the state.
Makinde stated this at a security meeting with local government chairmen and vice chairmen, heads of security agencies and traditional rulers, among other stakeholders, at the House of Chiefs, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, the state capital.
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The governor noted, at the the meeting, that the issue of security is a collective responsibility that requires all hands to be on the deck in order to curtail the insecurity facing the country, in which Oyo State is not exempted, so that the society would be safe and more secured for everyone.
He said: “Although security of lives and properties is the paramount responsibility of government, but government cannot do it alone except with the cooperation of the entire citizenry and as we can see from the report gotten all over the country, Oyo State is relatively peaceful. This was not achieved by the effort of government alone but with the efforts of all stakeholders, most especially the security commanders.”
Governor Makinde disclosed that the purpose of the meeting is to get situation reports from various quarters in the state on security, as well as to dialogue with the stakeholders on what to do and fine tune necessary steps that would help government put necessary machinery in place for people in the state to sleep with their two eyes closed.
He stated: “As the operation of the Amotekun Corps is concerned, we have perfected the process of employing 500 more hands to enhance their performance and further deepen the security architecture of our state.”
On whether or not to incorporate local vigilante members into the existing security team for the enhancement of security in the state, Makinde urged all stakeholders and the general public to join hands with the present administration in the effort at ensuring a peaceful environment.
The governor appreciated the security agencies in the state for their unrelenting support towards making peaceful co-existence among the people of the state possible, urging them to keep the pace up in order to allow for more influx of investments and commercial growth.
In his remark, a former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Rasheed Ladoja, commended Governor Makinde for being proactive in the area of security, which he said had greatly helped the state, when compared to neighboring states, especially in the media reports of cases of insurgency and urged all stakeholders and members of the public to be vigilant.
In his welcome address, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Chief Bayo Lawal, assured that the meeting would provide solutions and make necessary moves to ensure security of lives and properties are sustained in the state, commending Governor Makinde on his continued effort at ensuring the people of the state sleep with peace of mind, despite the security challenges facing the country.
