By Adekola Afolabi

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The chairman, South-West Governors’ Forum and Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has encouraged citizens of the state not to panic in spite of the security challenge witnessed on June 5 in Owo, Owo Local Government area of the state.

Governor Akeredolu explained  that the residents of the State are in safe hands, saying that his administration is leaving no stone unturned to strengthen existing security architecture to further protect lives and properties of all law-abiding citizens across the state.

Akeredolu who was represented by his Special Adviser on Union Matters and Special Duties, Mr Dare Aragbaiye, spoke yesterday while playing host to the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Akure Branch, at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office, Alagbaka Akure.

The Engineers led by their Chairman, Engr. Ezekiel Oloruntola, were in Governor’s Office to commiserate with the Governor over the Owo massacre.

The Society donated the sum of five hundred thousand naira (N500,000) to the victims of the June 5, 2022, Owo massacre, even as it lauded Governor Akeredolu for establishing Amotekun Corps and other laudable initiatives aimed at protecting lives and properties of the citizens.

Akeredolu thanked them for their visit and generous donation, adding that all donations would be transparently and judiciously utilized for the purpose it is meant to serve.

He described the Owo incident as horrific which is better imagined than experienced.

The Governor charged the poeple to take a conscious efforts against insecurity in their respective areas, even as he added that government is putting everything in place to strengthen the security architecture across the state.

“After the incident, Government of Ondo State under the leadership of Mr Governor, has also taken some steps, apart from attending to the needs of the affected ones in collaboration with the Catholic Church, particularly the Diocese of Owo.

“We have also taken some far-reaching decisions. Government has issued an Executive Order mandating religious centres and others to install CCTV devices in their premises. We expect our poeple to  comply because this is a wake up call for everyone of us, not only as individuals but as organisation. We must  take conscious efforts to secure ourselves while government is also trying its own bit.

“The CCTV devices are to be installed in places where we have gatherings of many people so that our security agencies will have something to work with”, he added.

Earlier, Engr. Oloruntola particularly saluted the boldness and courage of the governor to ensure security of lives and properties of the residents in the state through the establishment of Amotekun Corps, saying the situation would have been worse if not for Amotekun Corps.

The Engineers also threw their weight behind the establishment of state police to further strengthen security architecture in the country, just as they thanked the Governor for appointing Engineers to serve in various capacities in his government.

“What we have seen the Amotekun Corps do here in Ondo State is enough to convince any sensible government that the only option to tackle insecurity is to have state police”, he stressed.

The Chairman further disclosed that the society has commissioned research and development team to come up with a position paper on technological strategies to adopt in tackling security challenges in Nigeria, just as he promised to partner with the State Government wherever expertise of the Society is needed for a better society.