Southwest Governors, Traditional Rulers Meet, Reach Resolutions Over Insecurity

Governors of five of the six Southwest states In Nigeria on Saturday afternoon held a closed-door meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, to discuss security in the region.

Some traditional rulers from the region also attended the meeting.

Speaking at the end of the meeting, Rotimi Akeredolu, Governor of Ondo State and chairman of South-West Governors’ Forum, announced that following an appraisal of the security situation, a three-point agenda was agreed on by stakeholders present.

According to him, “the meeting supported the decision of the National Economic Council (NEC) on forest management; that the nation’s borders need to be fully secured and protected; that open grazing must be checked.”

Akeredolu added that media practitioners in the country must rise to the occasion
and “assist the country to end fake news.”

Other Governors present at the meeting were the host, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Gboyega Oyetola of Osun and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State.

Also present was the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of South-West, David Folawiyo, Oyo State Police Commissioner, Ngozi Onadeko and other security chiefs in Oyo State.

HumAngle gathered that the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, and the Department of State Services Director were billed for the meeting but could not fly out of Abuja due to bad weather.

Lately, Oyo State has been in the news for various cases of insecurity.

HumAngle reported that a clash between Hausa and Yoruba residents at Shasha community in Ibadan, which lasted for two days, led to multiple residents’ death and the loss of properties worth millions of naira.

The clash had first erupted at the Shasha market in Akinyele Local Government Area of Ibadan when a pregnant woman and a porter had a heated argument over waste disposal.

The porter had allegedly assaulted the pregnant woman after she insisted that he must clear the waste he dumped in front of her store.

While trying to resolve the altercation between the two persons, a cobbler, Sakirundeen Adeola, popularly known as Korex, was reportedly punched by the pusher, causing him to collapse on the spot.

Four Northern governors have since visited Shasha market, the clash scene, for an on the spot assessment.

Speaking during the tour, Abubakar Bagudu, leader of the delegation and Governor of Kebbi, pledged that the market, which was burnt down to ashes during the clash, would be rebuilt.

“We, the Nigerian Governors Forum, are going to support. As a matter of fact, we have given a token to those who are already displaced, and we will meet at a wider table tomorrow and can assure that more support will be mobilised,” Bagudu said.

Some of the traditional rulers present at the Saturday meeting were Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III; Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi; Akarigbo of Remo, Oba Babatunde Ajayi; Olugbo of Ugbo kingdom, Oba Fredrick Akinrutan; Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, Aje Ogungunnjso 1; and Olugbon of Orilegbon, Oba Francis Olusola Alao.