…..Advocates Replacement of Iseyin DPO
A US-based traditionalist and human rights activist, Chief Ifagbemileke Ife Fidudusola has called on the people of Iseyin to approach the issue of security in the community, using traditional means rather than relying only on the conventional security system.
Fidudusola said this on Saturday through a press release, while reacting to the recent kidnap incidents that took place in Iseyin and other communities in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State in which four farmers were abducted from the Iseyin farm settlement after which one of them was killed and ten million naira was collected as ransom for the rest of the victims.
Ife, who is an indigene of Iseyin said experiences have suggested that kidnapping for ransom has become a national crisis because of collusion of some bad eggs in among security agents that supply arms and ammunition to the perpetrators and even participate in the crime.
The Akinrogun of Ofatedo, Osun State called on the people of Iseyin to constitute local security committee that will be devoid of politics and business interests, which will serve as immediate solution to the rising criminal cases and nip future occurrences in the bud, lamenting the loss of capital by farmers from the Oke-Ogun area that could not access their farms because of the fear of kidnappers.
“I predicted a possible rise in cost of foods and farm produce in Oyo State and Nigeria as a result of the uncontrolled kidnapping cases as it has become business, many people that you will not believe can be part of it are taking part or giving support to these criminals.
“My people in Iseyin should stop relying upon the conventional security apparatus, apart from the fact that some of them are bad eggs that collide with the criminals, many of them are not from our areas and will not know the terrain where these criminals use as hideouts.
“Let there be a local security committee that will be at hand not just to respond to cases of this nature, but work in concert with all indigenes to get information about strangers and nip future kidnap cases in the bud.
“Only local wisdom and approach can solve this problem, imagine the criminals collecting ten million for the last operation, we all know that they will come back for more, since they know we will still want to use the same approach we last used, we have to change our style.”
The priest however called for the replacement of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Iseyin Divisional Police Headquarters for what he called acts of negligence.
Ifagbemileke said the replacement was necessary as the police officer’s contribution towards warding off criminal attacks on the people of Iseyin has not been noticeable, adding that despite that the security officer was said to be assailed with information about crimes that were yet to happen, but took no action at all the times.
“We always hear from home how this police officer failed to take action whenever people called or sent messages to him about strange people or events in the community, but he has always been unperturbed, he should go for another person that wants to work to come.
“This is part of our problems, as the DPO, he knows all the trouble spots in the town and should have the book of all the criminals, whenever issues like armed robbery or kidnap happens, a good security man should be able to use these records to get solution and not just be loafing around,” the priest noted.
