Fayemi turns to OPC in desperate bid to end kidnapping and armed attacks across Ekiti State

EKITI State's Governor Kayode Fayemi has urged the O’dua People's Congress (OPC) and local vigilante groups to support the security agencies in their bid to rid the state of kidnappers and other criminal elements.

 

Speaking in Ado Ekiti, the state capital yesterday during a meeting with security groups, Governor Fayemi said his government was not comfortable with the kidnapping and killing of people across the state. Although the state government has ordered the police, Department of State Services and other security agencies to flush out criminals, Governor Fayemi said the OPC and the vigilante groups could also help  in tackling criminal activities.

 

To coordinate the activities of the various groups, the governor has appointed a retired general, Ebenezer Ogundana, as his special adviser on security matters and as the coordinator of the Rapid Response Squad. He urged the public to cooperate with security agencies by informing them  about  any suspicious movement or activities in their areas.

 

Governor Fayemi said: “It requires all hands on deck to put those with criminal tendencies at bay to safeguard the lives and property of  the residents of the state. We are seeking the efforts of every member of the society to tackle these evil doers as within two weeks, over five people were kidnapped while one person was shot dead.

 

"We won’t rest until these people are apprehended and to show how committed we are to making Ekiti safe, we have reinstated the sacked operatives of the scrapped Ekiti State Peace Corps. We intend to recruit 800 operatives to work with the police in every community and the OPC, as a respectable pan-Yoruba security group is also welcomed in the battle to make Ekiti safe."

 

Traditional rulers, who also attended the event, called for roles for hunters and vigilance groups in a bid to stop kidnapping and insecurity in the state. Governor Fayemi assured them that his administration would not allow criminals to hijack the system and destabilise the state.

 

He added: “However, in doing our business, we need to be guided by the laws and we need to bow to a  superior directive from the police and not take the law into their own hands. All we want is you being partners in progress because Ekiti must be safe and nothing must be spared to actualise this.”

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