Igangan: Makinde Insists Fed Operatives Must Inform States Before Operations

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*‘Oyo Won’t Return Seized Weapon Until…’

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has insisted that Federal
security operatives must henceforth inform states before carrying
out any covert operation.

The governor was reacting to the recent crisis that rocked
Igangan and its environs in Ibarapa Local Government of the
state.

Some operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) had
arrested suspected smugglers in the community, leading to a
face-off between the operatives and the residents who mistook the
operatives for the belligerent herdsmen and resisted the
arrest.

The incident led to the death of the Coordinator of Amotekun in
Ibarapa Central Zone, and two other people.

Makinde threatened to withhold the weapon seized from the
operatives who invaded the community until he gets the attention of
the Federal Government.

Addressing some Muslims serving in his administration when they
visited him for the Eid-el-Kabir celebration on Tuesday, the
governor said recent data indicated an improved security situation
in Oyo State, following various security measures the government
had taken.

He said part of the measures was the instruction to local
government chairmen to involve traditional rulers as well as other
voluntary residents in policing their areas.

Each local government is to spend N10 million monthly on this
security arrangement.

Makinde explained that the initiative amounts to spending N330
million in the 33 local government areas, besides other efforts the
state government had put in place to tighten security.

“On security, most of the data in the past months shows that
things are now improving. The Igangan incident, some days ago, was
only falsified by some people who were saying that Fulani herdsmen
had invaded Igangan again. The truth is actually about the NCS and
smugglers. They know each other.

“Customs officials were accused to have entered Igangan, which
is not a border town. But we are working with Federal authorities
and they have arrested most of them.

“The gun that was collected is still with us. I said I won’t
release it until I get the attention of the Federal
authorities.

“In the Constitution of Nigeria, Oyo State is a federating unit.
We are not saying Federal agencies should not carry out their
operations here. But they must tell us; they must inform us. They
may not disclose the details of the operation to us, but we must
know about it.

“If we had known about the operation, we would have pre-informed
the security detail in the town and those who died could have been
alive. The Amotekun Coordinator that died in Igboora would have
still been alive today.

“How can you go operating in an unidentified vehicle in a town
where the security tactics have been heightened? As they wanted to
enter the town, they were confronted because we have heightened
security in all of those places.

“So, we will keep appealing to them and to our people that false
information won’t help anybody. Nobody will profit politically from
the security issues we are faced with. It is our collective
responsibility. The people will play their part and the government
will play its own part.

“We said each local government should set up a security
committee, which should include traditional rulers and voluntary
people willing to police their areas. I encouraged them to budget
N10 million to service the committee every month. For the entire
state, that’s N330 million per month by all local governments,
excluding what we are doing generally at the state level.”