Stakeholders urge stronger security collaboration against kidnapping in Oyo

Stakeholders in Oyo town have called for enhanced collaboration between communities and security agencies to address the growing threat of kidnapping in the area.

The appeal was made during a security summit organised by the Omo Iya Kunmi Foundation, bringing together representatives from religious organisations, market associations, law enforcement agencies, civil society groups, and artisans.

The town has recorded over five kidnapping incidents since the beginning of the year, with security operatives, including the Amotekun Corps, Soludero Hunters, the Vigilante Group, and the Nigeria Police, recently rescuing some kidnapped victims through joint operations.

Speaking at the event, the keynote speaker, Ojo Olayinka, who is a co-founder of the non-governmental organisation, TechBridgers, noted that the rising cases of insecurity are partly due to the weakened communal security architecture, which makes some villages and communities vulnerable.

He also identified the proliferation of unexplainable wealth among teenagers, the spillover of kidnapping trends across the country, and poverty as some of the factors fueling insecurity in the town.

“We should look back as a people and ask ourselves how we got here. Oyo is a communal town, but the high rate of urbanization, uncontrolled agglomeration, our attitude towards unexplainable wealth by teenagers, weakened communal lifestyle, loss of family values, and poverty brought us here. These are issues we, as a people, should collaboratively tackle to address the root cause of insecurity in our communities,” Olayinka said.

The Area Commander of the Oyo Area Command, represented by CSP Inyang Ignatius, said the kidnappers are moving to Oyo from Ibadan and other cities but assured that their activities would be curbed soon.

“Oyo has a deep history of governance and military structure. It appears these miscreants think the town is losing guard and are moving in from neighboring cities. But I promise you, we will overcome them soon,” the Area Commander said.

He charged the people to walk the talk by cooperating with the police and sharing helpful information to prevent crime proactively rather than reactively.

“We have to walk the talk. This involves every one of us. We need intelligence. We need the cooperation of everyone. This must not be left to the security agencies alone. You know your people better; you understand your communities better than the police. We have to collaboratively develop a strategy that prevents crime before it happens rather than reacting when it has already occurred,” Ignatius charged.

Also speaking at the event, the Iyaloja of Oyoland, Alhaja Adijat Peju Bakare, charged parents with the proper care of their teenagers and youth.

She lamented that the spate of insecurity is affecting the economy of the town and needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

“I want to appeal to everyone, especially parents, to please take proper care of our children. All these people are from some homes. Let’s watch the company our children keep. And it’s so sad that these kidnappings are happening around the farm areas. This is scaring the farmers away and affecting the goods coming to Oyo town from neighboring towns and villages. This also increases the cost of logistics for supply. We have no option but to pass these extra costs onto the price of goods, further worsening the already precarious economic condition,” Bakare said.

She also called for coordinated communication among security forces.

“Many times, when we call a particular police station, we are directed to another station, claiming the area is not within their jurisdiction—sometimes to a station we don’t have contact with. I think the police need to work on a centralised means of reporting crimes and sharing information,” Bakare advised.

In his words, the Chairman of the Oyo Global Forum, Mr. Hassan Adebayo, said kidnapping is a traumatising experience for all involved and a criminal means of wealth transfer that can further deepen poverty in the land.

“Kidnapping is a traumatising experience for all involved, both the victim and their loved ones, who often resort to selling properties and accumulating debt to ransom their loved ones. It is also a criminal means of wealth transfer that can further deepen poverty in Oyo land. I charge the Nigeria Police to work on rebuilding public confidence in them, as many people don’t trust the police enough to share intelligence or information with them,” Adebayo said.

In response, CSP Inyang advised the people not to share critical information with just anybody in uniform but only with key stakeholders in the security structure.

The Christian and Muslim communities, represented by Apostle Niyi Adediran and Alhaji Yekini, respectively, called on religious bodies to join the fight against insecurity by working with their communities and security agencies to develop a communal security network.

Other stakeholders at the meeting included student bodies, transport unions, artisans, and the JDPM.

Speaking at the end of the event, the organiser, Alhaji Kunmi Siyanbola, said the initiative would be sustained until the town is rid of unscrupulous elements.

“We thank God for the success of the summit. It’s a security summit, and we have harvested the concerns and opinions of stakeholders. We are glad the security agencies were there, and I believe this will help all concerned in coming up with a strategy to put an end to kidnapping and other sundry vices in the town. This is not the last; we will continue to engage all stakeholders at intervals until peace is restored in Oyo and its environs,” Siyanbola said.