The Elemure of Emure Ekiti, Oba Emmanuel Adebayo, on Saturday canvassed support from Ekiti State Government and the different local governments for communal efforts in fighting insecurity in the state.
Oba Adebayo, a former commissioner of police, who said the efforts of the Emure/Ise/Ikere Joint Security Committee had ensured reduction in crime and activities of hoodlums in the three local government areas – Ikere, Emure and Ise/Orun – under the body’s purview, harped on the need to break new grounds.
The traditional ruler, who spoke in his welcome address during the committee’s meeting in his palace, said, “We should build on the already laid down solid foundation of security architecture on our link roads against armed robbers, kidnappers and murderers.
“As much as we appreciate the successes recorded so far in the area of reduction in the activities of hoodlums and criminality in the area, the steps taken by this committee should be backed up by the state and local governments to foster relative peace in the area in particular and the state in general”.
According to a communique at the end of the meeting signed by the JSC Chairman, Tunji Falana and General Secretary, Andrew Okunniga, the committee resolved, among others, that governments and appropriate agencies should ensure improved staff strength of security agencies as well as their welfare packages for optimal performance.
It also resolved that “there should be synergy between security agencies and the traditional leaders, religious leaders and other stakeholders and improved surveillance and intelligence gathering in order to detect criminal activities in the highways, towns, villages and farmsteads”.
The committee, which stressed that the joint security patrol and raiding of criminals’ hideouts should continue in each of the three local government areas, said “activities of the scavengers should be discouraged as they serve as informants for criminals. The communities should have zero tolerance for Yahoo boys, cultists, cannabis farmers, buyers and smokers whose numbers are on the rise on a daily basis”.
Falana and Okunniga lauded the traditional rulers in the area – the Elemure, Oba Adebayo; the Arinjale of Ise, Oba Ayodele Ajayi; the Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti, Oba Adejimi Adu-Alagbado; and the Olukere of Odo-Oja, Ikere Ekiti, Oba Ganiyu Obasoyin for their sustained support for the JSC.
Credit: punchng.com
