Respite may have come for residents of the South West geopolitical zone of the country, as the Nigerian police, on Tuesday, said it had depleted the strength of kidnappers, armed robbers, ritualists, burglars in the zone, especially those who operated along the Ibadan-Ife highway and Iwaraja axis. For many weeks, palpable fear has gripped residents of the South West, with the reported operation of armed robbers as well as kidnappers on the Ibadan-Ife expressway, with instances of the kidnap of the son of former Minister of Health, Dayo Adewole; an orthopaedic surgeon, Professor Olayinka Adegbehingbe among others. Speaking, Akeredolu, who is Chairman of South West governors forum, noted the need for joint border control, coordination of formal and informal security groups, and a toll-free line dedicated to quickly attend to crime-related issues. He decried narrow-mindedness, parochial and political interests which dominated the insecurity discourse, noting that all individuals and leaders of the South West should rather consider the need for socioeconomic integration of the region. Noting that the security agencies were overwhelmed by security challenges, Fayemi noted the need to reconfigure the nation’s security architecture to increase their effectiveness.

Source: Nigerian Tribune June 25, 2019 20:24 UTC