Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has approved the recruitment of additional 500 men for the Oyo State’s Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), codenamed Amotekun, as part of his administration’s efforts to enhance the security of lives and properties in the state.
Makinde stated this in Ibadan at a monthly security meeting with local government Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, heads of security agencies, traditional rulers and stakeholders at the House of Chiefs, Secretariat.
The Governor told the gathering that the security issue is a collective responsibility, therefore, all hands must be on deck to curtail insecurity facing the country, which Oyo State was not exempted.
His words, “Security is everyone’s business. If we all play our parts well, we will have a safer and more secure environment. Although the security of lives and properties is the government’s paramount responsibility, the government cannot do it alone except with the cooperation of the entire citizenry. As we can see from the report, Oyo State is relatively peaceful. This was not achieved by the effort of the government alone but with the efforts of all stakeholders, most especially the security commanders. This meeting is aimed at getting the situation report from various quarters on security as well as to dialogue on what to do as stakeholders and fine-tune necessary steps. This will help the government to put necessary machinery in place for people in the state to sleep with their two eyes closed. 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.”
While discussing the consideration of whether 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 in ensuring a peaceful environment.
He used the occasion to appreciate 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 to allow for more influx of investments and commercial growth.
In his remark, the former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Rasheed Ladoja who was also present at the meeting, commended Governor Seyi Makinde for being proactive in the area of security which has greatly helped the State, when compared to neighbouring states, especially in the media reports of cases of insurgency and urged all stakeholders and members of the public to be vigilant an ensure safety of their lives.
In his welcome address, the State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Chief Bayo Lawal assured that the meeting would provide solutions and necessary moves on the need to ensure the security of lives and properties are sustained in the state and commended Governor Makinde on his continued efforts at ensuring people of the state sleep with peace of mind despite the security challenges facing the country.
