Adeleke seeks trans-regional security task force to curb cross-border crimes

850 herdsmen prosecuted, over 100 judgments secured, says Ondo Amotekun
Reveals erring officers dismissed from Corps

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has called for the establishment of a trans-regional security task force to curtail growing cross-border criminality in the South-West.

He gave the charge when the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Valentine Okoro, paid him a courtesy visit in Osogbo.

Adeleke said the visit was an opportunity to strengthen security strategy on sustenance of peace and stability in Osun and the region. The governor lauded the Commander of Engineering Construction Regiment, Ede Army Barracks, Brig.-Gen. K.F. Sulaimon, for a good job in securing the state, adding that the awareness of the military barracks in Ede is enough to deter criminals who might be scouting for a place to perpetuate their criminal activities.

In his remarks, Okoro lauded the governor for creating a safe and secure environment for residents to live and conduct lawful businesses. He said he was in Osun State as part of efforts to familiarise himself with the operational procedures in states under his Command.

He, however, described Osun State as lucky with the presence of the Engineering Construction Command in Ede, with engineers, specialists and combatants that contribute to the state’s security architecture. He commended the government and people of Osun for creating a stable and secure environment.

MEANWHILE, the Ondo State Security Network, known as Amotekun Corps, yesterday, said its birth three years ago had made the state to be adjudged as one of the most peaceful states in the country.

It said the farmer-herder conflicts, which used to be a daily occurrence in various parts of the state, had been enormously reduced owing to the strides made by the corps since its inception.

Besides, it said no fewer than 850 people that flouted the anti-open grazing law had been prosecuted, while about 100 judgments had also been secured. Chairman of the Council of Amotekun Commanders in the South West and Corps Commander in Ondo State, Adetunji Adeleye, who also doubles as Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, stated this during an interactive session with the state’s Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), tagged “The Platform.”

Adeleye further said that since inception, the Corps had summarily dismissed four erring officers that violated the laws and rules guiding the operation of the Corps, while several others have been sent to detention centres to ensure that they conform to the norms and standard operation practices of the organisation.