To rid Southwestern states of kidnappers who have made life intolerable for the locals, governors in the region are seriously considering establishing joint security agency patrols.
As part of the efforts to combat the rise in kidnappings and homicides in the area, the state governors also intend to increase the logistical support provided to security forces, which will include the military, the police, Amotekun, vigilantes, and local hunters, among others.
Once thought to be a tranquil area, the area is now a haven for criminals and kidnappers.
Naija News recalls that two Ekiti monarchs, Oba Olatunde Olusola of Imojo and Oba Babatunde Ogunsakin of Esun Ekiti, were assassinated by gunmen a few days ago, while Oba Adebayo Fatoba, the Alara of Ara Ekiti, barely escaped. 
The kidnappers, who were operating on the route between Ipao and Oke Ako in the Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, ambushed the traditional rulers while they were returning from a security conference in Kogi State.
In the same vicinity, five students from the Apostolic Faith Group of Schools, three teachers, and the bus driver were abducted by kidnappers after they attacked a school bus.
Only a few days before, some unidentified gunmen on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the chairman of the PDP chapter in Lagos State kidnapped Philip Aivoji.
In response, Governor Seyi Makinde’s Press Secretary Sulaimon Olanrewaju, detailed that the Oyo governor was stepping up security throughout the entire state, even if he could not speak for all the governors in the area.
He said, “That is why, recently, the government gave out vehicles to the security agencies in the state to ensure that they can operate without any problem. Apart from giving out vehicles, they also got communication gadgets.
“The vehicles are being fuelled by the state, and the essence is for them to be able to cover all parts of the state.
“Because of the government’s pro-activeness, incidents of kidnapping are low in the state and we intend to improve on this. The special adviser to the governor on security and his team regularly meet with the team in Ogun State. They meet regularly and they discuss strategies to checkmate the security threat that may occur.”
In a related statement, Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Media and Communications Kayode Akinmade expressed the state government’s grave concerns about the rise in crime in the region, specifically kidnapping.
The aide disclosed that, “With global best practices, we are undertaking the deployment of drones and other special equipment for monitoring and intelligence gathering.
“The initial technical hitch experienced during the test-run has been addressed. I think that puts us in a vantage position; it puts us ahead of criminals who are increasingly adept at their evil activities, even using technology for their pernicious purposes. We will work with other states to jointly patrol our region.”
On his part, Ekiti State Governor’s Special Adviser on Media, said the governor Olayinka Oyebode, had expressed the state government’s interest in pressing the Federal Government to allow Amotekun, the region’s security force, to carry weapons.
He said, “It is important that Amotekun carry arms, even though there had been an agreement that Amotekun can exist, if they do not carry arms, they are useless.
“The local gun they are currently using cannot be called real arms. The idea is to be able to do local information gathering, to secure the bushes and forest. Definitely, there is going to be more recruitment from our end here and there will be change on the dimension of the recruitment and also get local authorities involved.”
Speaking on the rising spate of kidnapping in the South-West region, the Police Public Relations Officer for Zone 11, Benjamin Ayeni, stated that a tactical squad had been established at the zonal level to stem the tide of escalating crime in the area.
He said, “You know each state has their jurisdiction. The zone is just overseeing the state commands and each command has various measures that have been put in place.
“I am aware that Osun and Oyo states both have anti-kidnapping teams, and they have technical intelligent response units and other technical teams in place. The teams are headed by people who are operationally viable to handle situations.
“Recently in Osun State, the Commissioner of Police put together some team called the Joint Task Force, which involved civilians, Amotekun personnel, vigilantes and local hunters so that they can see what is going on within our bushes, and if you look at it there is no such problem in Osun and Oyo states because crime is local and we are working locally against it.
“Osun and Oyo states would soon receive theirs because the IG said he did not want to flush criminals out of Abuja and have them move to the neighbouring states.”
The areas under the zone includes Oyo and Osun state.
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