By Jamiu Ganiyu
The Governor of Osun State, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, has linked the rising spate of kidnapping and banditry in the country to the high rate of youth unemployment and poor economy.
Oyetola dropped the hint on Wednesday during the 2019 National Security Conference and Public Lecture, organized by the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), of the Nigeria Police Force, Osun State command.
While speaking on the theme, “Kidnapping and Banditry: Understanding the Twin Menace”, Oyetola said the fight against the two menace required a deep understanding of the history of insecurity vis-a-vis the forms of crime, causes, threats, strategies for containment and eradication.
The Governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Wole Oyebamiji, said the dire security situation in the country has become a national issue that must be tackled squarely without ethnic or religious inclinations.
Earlier in his address, the former Speaker of the State of Osun House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Najéem Folasayo Salam, described the Governor Mr. Gboyega Oyetola as a peace-loving and development-oriented individual.
In his further compliments, Rt. Hon.( Dr.) Salam, who is the State Patron of the PCRC and a guest of honour at the event, said: “Governor Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola is a morally upright, coolheaded, well-mannered and peace-loving person”.
He stated further that the Governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Oyebamiji, did not for a moment, rest on his hoax in his quest to develop the Osun since assumption of office.
“You would not be surprised that Osun is developing and even more peaceful since assumption of Mr. Oyetola as executive Governor of the State”, he said.
He described the emergence of Governor Oyetola as God’s wish and ordained, adding “the Governor is people’s choice, who loves his people dearly”.
Dr. Salam said the PCRC award to Mr. Governor as the Grand Patron of the Committee was a well-deserved one.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the programme, Osun Commissioner of Police, who was the Chief Host of the 2019 Osun PCRC Week themed “Kidnapping and Banditry: Understanding the twin Menace”, Abiodun Ige, psc(+) admitted that the police couldn’t do it alone.
She said: “If you don’t tell the police that this is what is happening in your community, they are not likely to know.
“We cannot cover everywhere. So, we are appealing to the public to make police their friends and provide us with useful security-related information so as to free our society of criminals”.
The programme which was well-attended by prominent personalities among whom were representative of the Inspector General of Police, representative of The Ooni of Ife, PCRC National Vice Chairman, South West, Mogaji Ibraheem Olaniyan, representative of Senator Fadahunsi, Rt. Hon. Timothy Owoeye, Speaker of Osun House of Assembly, Prince Wole Oyebamiji, Secretary to Osun State Government, SSG, and Chairman, PCRC Osun Police Command, Comrade Amitolu Shittu, traditional rulers among others.