The Oyo State Government has stepped up intelligence gathering and community-based security measures to prevent a recurrence of the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area.

As part of the renewed security strategy, Governor Seyi Makinde directed the State Committee on the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons and Illegal Immigrants to embark on a statewide sensitisation and stakeholders’ engagement tour aimed at strengthening intelligence sharing, inter-agency collaboration and community policing.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Homeland Security, retired Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration, Segun Adegoke, who led the delegation, said the initiative was designed to reinforce the state’s security architecture through early warning mechanisms and prompt response to emerging threats.

The committee visited Surulere, Ogo-Oluwa, Oriire, Olorunsogo, Irepo, Kajola, Ibarapa Central and Ido local government areas, where it met with council chairmen, traditional rulers, community leaders, farmers, Fulani leaders and other stakeholders.

Addressing the stakeholders, Adegoke urged residents to remain vigilant and support security agencies with timely and credible information, stressing that intelligence gathering remains critical to combating insecurity.

He also emphasised the need for lawful migration, proper documentation of migrants and closer collaboration between communities and security agencies in identifying and addressing security threats while respecting the rights of lawful residents.

According to him, residents should know their neighbours, avoid spreading rumours capable of creating panic and promptly report suspicious movements to security agencies.

During the engagements, stakeholders expressed concern over the influx of unprofiled migrants into parts of the state and called on the government to enforce the Oyo State Anti-Open Grazing Law more effectively.

They also advocated the integration of local hunters and vigilante groups into the state’s formal security framework, increased funding for security operations, comprehensive profiling of migrants, regular surveillance of forest reserves and the establishment of military bases in communities bordering forests.

The chairmen of Surulere, Ogo-Oluwa, Oriire, Olorunsogo, Irepo, Kajola, Ibarapa Central and Ido local government areas urged residents to remain security conscious and sustain support for security agencies through intelligence sharing.

Representatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Department of State Services and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency underscored the importance of sustained inter-agency collaboration in tackling insecurity.

They also urged residents to utilise the state’s toll-free emergency number, 615, to report suspicious activities for immediate response.

As part of the tour, the delegation paid a courtesy visit to the palace of the Onigbeti of Igbeti, Oba (Dr.) Mas’ud Oyekola Arowoduye II, in recognition of the role of traditional institutions in promoting peace and security at the grassroots.