Concerned by the rising spate of insecurity occasioned by cases of kidnappings, herdsmen/ farmers clash, banditry and cultism, the Ogun State House of Assembly has passed a resolution calling on the State Government to step up plans towards the immediate commencement of operations/take off of the Amotekun Security network, with a view to strengthening security network in the State.
The passage of the resolution followed a motion moved by the Majority Leader, Yusuf Sherif, seconded by a member representing Remo North State Constituency, Solomon Osho and unanimously supported by other lawmakers through a voice vote at a plenary presided over by Speaker Olakunle Oluomo at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The resolution according to the lawmakers was aimed at calling on the State Governor to achieve a seamless and immediate take-off of the State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps Law passed by the Assembly March, 2020 and subsequently assented to by Governor Dapo Abiodun, who later appointed a commandant for the corps recently.
Earlier, members including Honourables Sola Adams, Adegoke Adeyanju, Oludaisi Elemide, Kemi Oduwole and Solomon Osho complained about the nefarious activities of some herdsmen, who often engaged in kidnapping and destruction of farmlands under the guise of open grazing for their herds of cattle, as well as the incidents of high way robbery and rivalry cult clashes which had resulted in avoidable loss of lives and negative effect on the economic activities of the affected areas.
Other lawmakers including Sylvester Abiodun, Ganiyu Oyedeji, Haruna Wahab and Atinuke Bello, who jointly kicked against open grazing, following the tension created in some neighbouring States as a result of clashes between residents and herdsmen, called for improved surveillance by the various security formations in their respective constituencies to nip the situation in the bud so as to avoid inter-ethnic crises in the State.
In his response, Speaker Oluomo lauded the intervention of the State command of the Nigeria Police Force at checkmating crimes and criminality, with a renewed charge on residents to always provide timely and credible information to the security agencies towards aiding their operations and make the State an unsafe for criminals.
Condemning the unpatriotic act of some residents, who often connived with criminals through sharing of sensitive security information, Oluomo noted that the State Assembly would soon convey a stakeholders’ forum to harness the inputs of concerned stakeholders towards ensuring the passage of the Animal Grazing and Cattle Ranch Establishment Law, 2020.