Kidnapping/Banditry: Osun Govt Launches War Against Criminals

To effectively combat the rising incidence of kidnapping in the State, the Osun State Government has launched a strategic plan to flush-out perpetrators.

The strategic plan is a result of intense collaborative efforts between the government and the leadership of security agencies, in consultation with key stakeholders across the State.

During a meeting with top security officials on Wednesday, chaired by the Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, the situation was reviewed and a decision to halt further attacks in any part of the State was taken. The meeting was attended by leadership of the Police, the Army, the Air Force, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) , the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).

Although in-depth review of the situation revealed an exaggeration of the few incidents that took place, the officials nevertheless agreed that it has become imperative to tackle the situation decisively.

A statement by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Adeniyi Adesina, said the Osun State Government has put its full weight behind the joint security patrol teams of the police, the military and paramilitary outfits to patrol the dark spots in the state and rout out criminals from their hideouts.

The mandate of the joint patrol team is to support the activities of the Police Operation Puff Adder which has raised the stake in the battle against kidnapping and other forms of attacks on the people.

Intelligence gathering has also been stepped up to give the necessary backing to the operations of the joint patrol teams.

Governor Oyetola has given the needed logistics to the security operations to guarantee success.

A zonal joint action against the rising spate of insecurity and criminality has also been taken by the Governors of the South West states of Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos. A meeting to fine tune the arrangement will hold in Abuja on Friday, June 7, 2019, after the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) meeting.