Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, have sought for the collaboration of stakeholders to eradicate illegal mining, banditry, kidnapping, and other vices in Oke-Ogun and other areas of the state.
The two leaders raised the concern, yesterday, through their deputies; the deputy governor, Bayo Lawal, and the Deputy Inspector General of Police, FCID and South West zone, Abiodun Sylvester Alabi, during a meeting held at the Conference Hall of the Secretary to the State Government, in Ibadan, yesterday.
Makinde said there was a reported case of kidnap along Igbeti-Igboho road on Wednesday while a driver of an unspecified vehicle was reportedly killed along the same route not quite long.
The governor, who sounded seriously perturbed with the development, added that while the illegal miners were depleting the resources of the state through nefarious acts, kidnappers and perpetrators of other acts that were inimical to the security of the state were making the affected areas unsafe for the dwellers.
He lamented that the criminals had infiltrated the forest in the Northern part of Oyo, and turned it into a haven from where they launched attacks at the dwellers and passers-by.
He told the visiting representative of the IGP that the long forest berth in Oke-Ogun area was where reported cases of kidnapping and abduction took place.
Earlier, the DIG Alabi had intimated the governor of his visit to the state, adding that it was aimed at interfacing with the police and the stakeholders on the security challenge and proffer solution.
