Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde, has reinstated his call for community policing. The governor made the call during his speech at the Coronation and Birthday Anniversary Celebration of the Osemawe and Paramount Ruler of Ondo Kingdom, His Imperial Majesty, Oba (Dr) Adesimbo Kiladejo, CFR.
Nigerian Tribune reports that the event which was held recently in Ondo state, had the Oyo state governor as the guest speaker. In his speech which he titled Role of Traditional Institutions in Socioeconomic Development in Nigeria, the governor said “In 2019, the southwest States created the Western Nigeria Security Network, code-named Amotekun.
The plan from the very start was to have the Amotekun Corps play a significant role in community policing. This plan would not be possible without the input of the traditional systems running in these communities.
That is why in Oyo State, one of the layers of intelligence gathering we created, tagged the Expanded Security Council, includes the traditional rulers.
This decision was premised on the fact that the first people who would spot strangers are members of the community. You may not even be able to rent a house in the rural areas without the blessings of the chiefs. In working with them, we are able to quickly identify when strangers come into a community and use that network to inform security agencies.”
The governor, however, urged traditional rulers to support the government in their aim of getting rid of criminal elements in Southwest.
