To prevent insecurity and curb kidnapping,
a former deputy director-general of the State Security Service, Brig.-Gen. Kunle Togun (retd.), has suggested that officials of the Amotekun Corps should patrol identified dangerous spots instead of stationing security vehicles.
The Saki-born former director of military of military intelligence, said that buying of vehicles is not security.
“I gave them all the places they needed to patrol, all the places they needed 12-hour guards, and all the places they were supposed to station 24-hour guards. I gave them everything.”
Saying that the kidnappers can gang up and attack them where they are parked, the former chairman of Amotekun Corps in the state said that security officials need modern technology to determine precise locations and know where to strike. “You catch the terrorists by surprise. Surprise is a principle of war. I told him the areas he was supposed to patrol. They have to use modern technology to identify the location of these people. It will assist the military operating in the state to know where to strike. While travelling to Lagos, you must have seen Amotekun vehicles parked by the roadside. Is that patrol?”
The governors of southwest are not overwhelmed but busy with politics. According to him, the only of the 6 Yoruba governors that was interested in security was late Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state.
“Others are not interested in security. They are just spending security funds. The only governor who was truly concerned about security was Rotimi Akeredolu, and he is gone. Yoruba governors are only pursuing politics.
“What overwhelmed? I was Chairman of Amotekun. I didn’t apply for it. Governor Seyi Makinde said it would be difficult for me not to be invited on matters of security in Oyo State. Did he listen to me?
“There was a retired military officer, Colonel Adeleye Agbede. He called me one day and said we should meet at the Retired Army, Navy and Air Force Officers’ Mess, not far from Agodi Gate and very close to the deputy governor’s residence. So we met there that day — himself, myself, General Oladayo Popoola and Colonel Yakubu Anifowose. The question was, “Are we just going to sit down and watch insecurity flourish in Yoruba land?” I said four people could not do it alone. We invited others. When we were about 15 retired military officers — Army, Air Force and Navy personnel of Yoruba extraction — we carried out an analysis. Three others and I were asked to prepare the security threat analysis for Yoruba land. We did it. Colonel Agbede said he had contacted Akeredolu and that Akeredolu was interested. When we finished, Colonel Agbede said he was travelling to the UK for a medical check-up. He later called and said he had met Akeredolu in London and requested that we send him two copies of the analysis. It was General Popoola who sent it to him. He went through it and said he was interested. At that time, he was Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum. The man later returned and suffered a serious illness until he died. General Popoola gave a copy to Seyi Makinde and told him, “My friend, the Army, Navy and Air Force Officers’ Mess is very close to your house, try to branch there occasionally for security discussions.” When we talk about security, they are all interested in politics. About two years ago, the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria conducted an analysis, wrote a report and handed it over to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who is the current chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum. Till today, no action. They are collecting security votes. They are the number one security officers in their states. How can they be overwhelmed? They receive security votes, yet they are not paying attention to security.”
He said the security analysis he did was peculiar to the entire Southwest. I identified the vulnerable points in Oyo State and what needed to be done. There is the Oyo National Park. Oyo National Park extends to Kwara, Ogbomoso, Igboho, Igbeti, Saki, Atisbo and Oyo. There is also the Opara Forest Reserve in the Saki area. Opara Forest Reserve covers over 250,000 hectares of land. It extends to Ibarapa. How many men can you deploy across such an expanse to identify the location of bandits?
