Insecurity : AIG meets top police officers, traditional rulers, Others in Oyo
Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:25:am National
722 By Afam Jude Offor
Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), in charge of Zone XI, comprising Oyo, Osun and Ondo states, Bashir Makama, yesterday met with senior police officers, traditional rulers, leadership of the Police Community Relation Committee (PCRC), traders and Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) in Oyo State on how to stem the tide of insecurity in the state and the zone.
Makama, who just resumed as new AIG in the zone on January 27, said: “So many things happen, there are so many challenges and so many activities going on.
“If you don’t have challenges, your impacts may not be felt. I am sure it is the issues cropping up in the state that made the commissioner of police to be restless. In life, you set for yourself what you want to achieve and how to achieve it.
“I want to encourage the commissioner of police to do what must be done to enable the people sleep with their eyes closed. I have come so that we can interface with you in order to identify areas where we can address security challenges.
“Policing is meant to be a collective responsibility. That is the essence of community policing. We cannot do it alone, so security is everyone’s business.
“You must be self-safety conscious. If you cannot save yourself, you cannot save others. Our challenges are not far-fetched, so we need to be alive to the challenges.
“We should identify our common challenges and find common ways of addressing them.”
Makama, who enjoined the public to maintain harmonious relationship with the police, said: “No police officer will train a trigger-happy policeman to shoot at harmless students or the public. When such a thing happens, know that it is unnatural.”
Commissioner of Police, Shina Olukolu, mentioned some of the challenges confronting the command to include inadequate manpower, logistics problem, inadequate office equipment and accommodation facilities, inadequate police drivers, near absence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
He said the command watches over about eight million people, being the approximate population of the state.
“The state has 33 local government areas with 35 local council development areas, which are divided into 10 police area commands with the state headquarters at Eleyele, Ibadan.
The total strength of officers and men in the command is just barely sufficient to minimally police the state.
“The command is currently facing serious manpower problem due to the relative peace in the state, people have continued to relocate to the state and new building sites keep developing daily.
“As a result, increased economic activities beget increase in crime, which require upgrading establishment of new police divisions to bring policing closer to the people.
“Thus, the existing manpower is being over-stretched and further depleted either by redeployment to new divisions or constant inter-state transfer without replacement.
“Also death, retirement and regular special duties outside the state have their negative effect,” he said.
The meeting, which was held at the headquarters of Oyo State Police Command, Eleyele, Ibadan, had in attendance Olukolu; Chairman of PCRC, Tunji Omofoye; and Iyaloja of Ibadan, Labake Lawal.
The traditional rulers in attendance included Onijaye of Ijaye, Oba Lasisi Akano; Alawotan of Awotan, Oba Dauda Omotosho; and Baale of Ekotedo, Elder Taiye Ayorinde.
The roll call also included Vice Chairman, Security Forum, Zone XI, Waheed Olojede; as well as deputy commissioners of police, Attairu Isah and Kehinde Longe.
Makama, who just resumed as new AIG in the zone on January 27, said: “So many things happen, there are so many challenges and so many activities going on.
“If you don’t have challenges, your impacts may not be felt. I am sure it is the issues cropping up in the state that made the commissioner of police to be restless. In life, you set for yourself what you want to achieve and how to achieve it.
“I want to encourage the commissioner of police to do what must be done to enable the people sleep with their eyes closed. I have come so that we can interface with you in order to identify areas where we can address security challenges.
“Policing is meant to be a collective responsibility. That is the essence of community policing. We cannot do it alone, so security is everyone’s business.
“You must be self-safety conscious. If you cannot save yourself, you cannot save others. Our challenges are not far-fetched, so we need to be alive to the challenges.
“We should identify our common challenges and find common ways of addressing them.”
Makama, who enjoined the public to maintain harmonious relationship with the police, said: “No police officer will train a trigger-happy policeman to shoot at harmless students or the public. When such a thing happens, know that it is unnatural.”
Commissioner of Police, Shina Olukolu, mentioned some of the challenges confronting the command to include inadequate manpower, logistics problem, inadequate office equipment and accommodation facilities, inadequate police drivers, near absence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
He said the command watches over about eight million people, being the approximate population of the state.
“The state has 33 local government areas with 35 local council development areas, which are divided into 10 police area commands with the state headquarters at Eleyele, Ibadan.
The total strength of officers and men in the command is just barely sufficient to minimally police the state.
“The command is currently facing serious manpower problem due to the relative peace in the state, people have continued to relocate to the state and new building sites keep developing daily.
“As a result, increased economic activities beget increase in crime, which require upgrading establishment of new police divisions to bring policing closer to the people.
“Thus, the existing manpower is being over-stretched and further depleted either by redeployment to new divisions or constant inter-state transfer without replacement.
“Also death, retirement and regular special duties outside the state have their negative effect,” he said.
The meeting, which was held at the headquarters of Oyo State Police Command, Eleyele, Ibadan, had in attendance Olukolu; Chairman of PCRC, Tunji Omofoye; and Iyaloja of Ibadan, Labake Lawal.
The traditional rulers in attendance included Onijaye of Ijaye, Oba Lasisi Akano; Alawotan of Awotan, Oba Dauda Omotosho; and Baale of Ekotedo, Elder Taiye Ayorinde.
The roll call also included Vice Chairman, Security Forum, Zone XI, Waheed Olojede; as well as deputy commissioners of police, Attairu Isah and Kehinde Longe.
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