Oyo State government has vowed to fish out the bandits and use the instrumentality of the law to deal with them.
It also assured residents that it would take every precaution to ensure the safety of everyone in the state.
The assurance came amid news that bandits from the northern parts of the country were infiltrating the state.
During a press briefing after the state’s Joint Security Council meeting presided over by Governor Seyi Makinde, the government said all hands were on deck to fish out the bandits and use the instrumentality of the law to deal with them.
The Special Adviser on Security to Oyo State Governor, Fatai Owoseni, a retired commissioner of police, while briefing the media on the resolution of the security council, urged the people to go about their lawful activities without any fear, assuring them that the state government would pull out all the stops to secure the life of everyone in the state.
Owoseni said that with the robust synergy among the security agencies in the state, the bandits and other criminal elements had nowhere to hide.
He also stated that Oyo was collaborating with neighbouring states to secure its borders and guard against the influx of bandits.
He noted that to strengthen the state’s security network, the Council would hold expanded meetings incorporating local government chairmen and traditional rulers.
“The essence of this is to ensure that we take security to the grassroots. The local government administration is the third tier of government and closest to the people. Similarly, traditional rulers are close to the people and know most people in their domains.
“By integrating them into the security network, we are taking security to the grassroots and carrying everyone along. Security is everybody’s business, and we all have a role to play in ensuring that our state is safe from the antics of bandits and other criminal elements”, he said.
He added that the Council also discussed the issue of decongesting correctional centres, adding that the state would invoke its power of prerogative of mercy to set free some of the inmates.
“Similarly, the Council discussed the issue of the health and well-being of inmates of correctional centres with a recommendation that they should be enrolled on the Oyo State Health Insurance Scheme to ensure that they have access to good healthcare.
“A decision on the health insurance scheme for correctional centre inmates would be taken at one of the subsequent Council meetings,” Owoseni said.
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