The Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) Worldwide has urged Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde to allow the people of the state feel good governance in the area of security by doing the needful.
OPC president, Aare Prince Osibote, gave the advice during his visit to Igangan town at the weekend over the recent attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen who murdered over 20 residents.
A broadcaster Titus Badejo was also killed by unknown assailants in Ibadan at the weekend.
Osibote said that safety of lives and property of residents of the state must be a priority to the government, adding that the government should embrace a new approach in handling the security of the state.
He believed that the massacre wouldn’t have happened if the government had done the needful by putting machinery in place to avert the deadly incident.
While delivering the goodwill message of the former governor of Western Region, Gen. David Jembewon (rtd) who he said was greatly concerned about the security situation in the state, Osibote said a large number of policemen and women have been posted to provide security for important personalities, leaving the police with inadequate number of personnel to tackle insecurity in the larger society.
He pointed out that the weapons given to the police are meant to protect the community, not private individuals.
“They should go and guide the community. Why will you be using tax payers money on only one person, the gun that police are carrying belong to the masses not to protect private individuals,” he said.
The assistant secretary of Igangan development advocate, Ibrahim Olagoke, said that people in the town could no longer sleep with their two eyes closed because of fear of attack. Because of the situation, Olagoke disclosed that all youths in the town are on ground to assist security agencies to forestall breakdown of security in the town
“We are afraid to go to farm, we are working with fear both day and night. Oyo State Government has promised us to tighten security in Igangan but they are yet to fulfill their promises. We contributed money from our own purse to support and fund the local vigilantes guiding us.”
Speaking on behalf of Asigangan of Igangan, Chief Akeem Rasak described the meeting as a good move to restore peace in the area.
He, however, appealed to the state government to do the needful by empowering the local hunters because people have lost trust in the Police.
