Concerned by the rising wave of killings, herdsmen’s attacks and commercialised kidnapping in his domain, Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola, has requested for security beef up in the State of the Living Spring.
The governor held talks with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai in his Abuja office on Thursday.
The duo discussed the need to urgently upgrade security in the state.
Oyetola urged Gen. Buratai to expedite action on his promise to allow his soldiers to be part of the joint security team to combat rising crime in the state.
Until recently, Osun had a reputation of being the safest state in the country.
The state is locked by Oyo, Kwara, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states. Some miscreants believed to be itinerant herdsmen have made the routes leading to the state from Ekiti and Ondo states dreadful to travellers.
According to a statement by the governor’s spokesman, Mr. Adeniyi Adesina, the state government has concluded plans to set up a joint security patrol team of policemen, soldiers and other security agencies to patrol the highways and the dark spots to make the state safe for residents.
Some dark spots, where criminals launch attacks on innocent citizens, have been identified on Ife –Ibadan, Ilesa-Akure and Ijebu-Jesa-Efon roads.
Adesina quoted Oyetola as telling the COAS that his visit was a follow up to the letter of request the state had earlier sent to Gen. Buratai to support the security in the state with his soldiers’ participation in the joint security patrol plan.
“We believe security is paramount and it is the key to development. We need your full support for the joint patrol plan”, the governor was quoted as saying.
Oyetola also commended Gen. Buratai for the efforts of the military whose engineers are constructing a bridge across River Osun that connects Ede with Kuta and other communities.
Governors of the Southwest have also resolved to organise a security summit to prepare a joint plan to combat the rising crime in the geopolitical zone, especially on the major highway from Ibadan to Akure where bandits have scaled up their attacks on travellers.
Gen. Buratai assured the governor that he would make all the efforts to support the security arrangement so that the state could continue to keep its status as one of the most peaceful in the land.
He reiterated that the army had always supported the police to keep internal security.
