RECENTLY, the Ondo State Government evacuated some people of northerner extinction arrested by the state’s security network, Amotekun, from Okitipupa, the headquarters of Okitipupa Local Government Area.
It also evicted another set of 137 northerners from the state’s forest reserves few days later. The action followed the February directive of the state Governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, ordering herdsmen to register or vacate the forest reserves within seven days.
FOR sometimes now, the state forest reserves had been taken over by bandits who used them as cover for all manners of criminal activities ranging from abduction, kidnapping for money and raping of innocent women .
THEIR menace has brought fear and insecurity to citizens who can no longer travel on the highways as travelers have taken to the air for fear of being abducted by criminal elements .
TAKING all these into consideration, The Hope appreciates the state government for its suspicion of the activities of migrants, especially when their motive for coming into the state is unknown.
WITH the rise of Islamic insurgency in other parts of the country, and the consequent violence following it, the government has to be proactive in watching out for strange faces or any sudden influx of people into the state.
NEEDLESS to say, the rise in the number of migrants in the state coincides with an increase in the number of criminal activities, as kidnappers emerging from the forest reserves abduct innocent people almost on a daily basis.
THROUGH the activities of herdsmen who have infiltrated the state, a number of people have been killed, due to conflict of interest of farmers and invaders.
IN addition to the increasing rate of killings, herdsmen violate the farms, destroying crops and putting farmers into economic jeopardy, a situation which causes tension, apprehension have continued to grip people who travel on state roads, as they live in fear through out the duration of their journey for fear of being attacked.
THE local security outfit, Amotekun, needs more equipment and logistic to check infiltrators, and keep potential criminal elements away from the state. The ongoing recruitment of more hands to strengthen the security outfit deserves public and private support. The security outfit has shown demonstrable capacity and competence to respond to emergencies and distress calls.
WITH the right manpower and equipment, Amotekun enjoys the confidence of the people and The Hope salutes its leadership, Chief Adetunji Adeleye for responding to the insecurity in the State by the quality of service the agency has offered for a state in distress and despondency.
BEYOND the evacuation of illegal immigrants, Amotekun must commence discrete investigation into the motive of large influx of northerners into the south west beyond economic motive. The Hope believes in the sanctity of the constitution which provides a haven for economic activities for Nigerians, such economic migrants are duty bound to respect the laws and regulations guiding their stay in their host communities for peace to reign.
THE HOPE calls on residents of the state to be extra vigilant by reporting strange faces and weird actions or religious activities to the appropriate security agents and traditional rulers. We must not take the issue of strange faces lightly as doing so might spell disaster.
AMOTEKUN should use the 203 wards in the state as intelligence gathering centres for citizens to pass information to the agency at no extra cost. What the security outfit requires is to earn the confidence of the people by ensuring that the information is treated with utmost confidence without the informant’s identity being compromised . This is the only way to encourage local people to pass credible information to the security agency .
LOCAL government chairmen, their personnel and other security agencies must work in synergy with Amotekun to exchange information which will make the state safe for the citizens and potential investors.