The call is contained in a communique issued by Oke Ogun Council of Elders, OCE, and signed by its spokesman, Comrade Jare Ajayi, after its mid-year meeting held in Ibadan.

The meeting was chaired by its president and former Minister of State for Agriculture and Water Resources, Otunba Bamidele Dada.

Present at the meeting were Deacon S. A. Oyedemi, Prof. Layi Egunjobi, Elder Doja Oladele, Pastor Tunde Adigun, ACP Funke Ladigbolu, Alfa Amusa Adebisi, Engineer A. Shittu, Mr. Wole Oladokun, Mr. Isaac Funmpe Ojeyemi, Barrister Bayo Toluwalase, Mr. I. Taiwo, Mr. Solomon Ige, Mr. I. E. Bolaji and Mr. David Aremu.

The Oke Ogun elders stated that in addition to herders/farmers’ clashes that were still occurring, influx of Fulanis from outside Nigeria had increased insecurity problem in the area as being manifested in kidnapping, raping, armed robbery cases.

They then called on the government and security agencies to be firmer in dealing with the situation, decrying the situation in which when farmers and herders have clashes, security agencies, especially the Police, tend to side with the herders, “even when the farmer is the victim.”

The communique reads in part: “Instances abound in which when, for instance, a cow ate tubers or grains sprayed with chemicals in a farm and something happened to the cattle, the farmer would be forced to pay for the dead cow even when it was the cattle that came to the farm. In this respect, security agencies, especially the Police, are called upon to ensure fairness and justice in their handling of farmers/herders’ clashes.”

The elders urged the Oyo State government to, without further delay, commence the enforcement of the anti-open grazing law enacted in November, 2019.

While noting with concern the strike embarked upon by members of the Vigilante Group established by various local government councils in Oke Ogun as a result of imprecise remuneration and poor welfare, the elders called on the governments concerned to, as a matter of urgency, respond positively to the demands of the striking security personnel as their service is very critical.

The Oke Ogun elders further appealed to the government to take positive actions on the mining activities going on in the area with a view to ensuring that the local people benefit – unlike the present situation in which outsiders, including non-Nigerians derive greater benefits through the illegal mining activities going on there.

Besides, calling on the federal government to complete work on long-abandoned Ikere Gorge Dam, the elders also urged the Oyo State government to set up an Oke-Ogun Development Commission to redress the age-long marginalisation of the area.

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The umbrella body for the people of Oke Ogun in Oyo State, in a statement jointly signed by its president, Dr. Olusegun Ajuwon, and Public Relations Officer, Comrade Jare Ajayi, said his mission was meant to put a stop to the iniquities being meted out to Yoruba people – of which he is a proud son.

The embattled activist is from Igboho in Oorelope local government area of Oke-Ogun.

“We are proud of his desire to see that farmers are no longer prevented from cultivating their farms and our women are no longer raped in the course of pursuing their businesses”, it stated.

It would be recalled that Adeyemo was the arrowhead of a movement tackling Fulani herders who were terrorizing farmers and rural dwellers particularly in Ibarapa area of Oyo State and his group later began to agitate for the creation of a Yoruba nation.

However in the wee hours of July 1, 2021, his house in Soka area of Ibadan was invaded by armed officials of the DSS resulting in the death of two people and arrest of 12 others who are now on trial in Abuja.

Adeyemo feeling that his life was unsafe, decided to sneak out of the country and was arrested in Cotonou while trying to board a flight to Germany.

He has been on trial since then with reports having it that Nigeria is making efforts to have him extradited so that he could be tried here.

The ODCF maintained that while it conceded that the government had a right, indeed the power, to try anybody thought to have contravened the law, “but in doing so, government should factor in the relevant sections of the law that says that a suspect is innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. Not only that, the governments of Nigeria and Benin should remember the relevant sections of the African Charter and other international conventions to which they are signatories.”

Some of the documents being referred to include Article 4 of the ECOWAS Convention on Extradition which prescribes that a suspect cannot be extradited if the offence for which he is wanted is ‘political or for the purpose of prosecuting him on account of his ethnic group or political opinion’.

Various provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Nigeria is also a party, have similar provisions.

According to the group, part of what Igboho advocated was echoed penultimate week by Emir of Muri in Taraba State when he gave Fulani herders a 30-day ultimatum to vacate his area because of the harm they were doing to farmers and women in his domain.

“There is no difference between what Sunday Igboho was advocating and what Emir of Muri has done. Therefore, we believe that what is good for the goose should be good for the gander,”  ODCF stated.

It stated further that the people of Oke Ogun were law abiding citizens with commitment to the laws of the land, saying “it is within these laws that we seek protection for ourselves and our people including Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho)”.

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It gave the commendation in a statement issued by its President, Dr. Olusegun Ajuwon, the Secretary General, Pastor Zacheus Adepoju and the Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, on Wednesday.

The organisation lauded the governor for the completion and commissioning of Iseyin-Moniya-Ibadan Road as well as the promise to do same for Iseyin-Oyo Road within the shortest possible time.

It said, “In view of several fruitless attempts to fix Iseyin-Moniya Road in the past, we were not so sure of what would happen when the governor re-awarded the contract for the rehabilitation of the road in 2019 and promised to get it ready soonest. We are however delighted that within two years of his being in the saddle, the road was ready for use. Not only was it rehabilitated, it was of very good standard.”

The forum also commended Makinde for siting a campus of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology at Iseyin, a major town in Oke ogun.

The group recalled that the state government, under Makinde, reconfigured and equipped a General Hospital in Saki to a centre for the management and treatment of Covid-19 when the viral epidemic broke out last year.

“Putting all these into consideration, we are bold to say that Seyi Makinde administration is surely making a positive difference in the lives of our people. For that, we commend him, his Deputy, Engr Remi Olaniyan, along with their team and hope that they will continue to bring desirable dividends of democracy to the people,” it stated.

While noting that the people of the area were hard-hit by the activities of bandits including Fulani herdsmen, the Oke Ogun leaders appealed to the government to work harder on security,  “with a view to quickly bringing an end to unwarranted killings and maiming of our people as well as the destruction of their properties including farmlands.”

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Governor Makinde, who was speaking at different spots in Ibarapaland where he engaged the people in town hall meetings, said that his administration would get the criminals to account for their heinous acts in the state.

He equally declared that the state could not afford to lose any more lives to insecurity, stating, however, that any action that must be taken must be guided by the realisation that a wrong solution must not be proffered in order to avoid unintended consequences.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the governor stated these in Ibarapaland during meetings at Idere, Igangan and during visits to the homes of the late Dr. Fatai Aborode and others who lost their lives to the crisis in the area.

Governor Makinde, who equally commiserated with Mrs. Idowu Babarinde, who lost a child to indiscriminate shooting by kidnappers in their attempt to kidnap a filling station owner in Idere, said he was pained by the losses recorded in the area, adding that he felt the pain of the people of Ibarapaland.

“I decided to spend the night in Ibarapaland so as to let you know that if my people in this place cannot sleep with two eyes closed, I cannot also sleep with my two eyes closed in Ibadan,” the governor said, adding that the visit afforded him the opportunity of feeling the pains of the people first-hand.

He said: “We are turning the heat on the criminal elements and we will surely get them.”

He stated that the government would compensate victims of the insecurity situation in Ibarapaland, adding that measures that the government was taking to curtail the situation included the setting up of an all-inclusive peace and security committee at the local government levels and the stepping up intelligence gathering in the area.

According to him, “one of the things we want to do is, we must have a peace and security committee at the local government level, which will be all-encompassing.

“Those people that are supposed to be there and can contribute meaningfully must be accommodated.

“So, I have listened to you. I came here purposely to sleep over to demonstrate that your problem is also my problem. If you cannot sleep with your two eyes closed, I also have no business sleeping with my two eyes closed in Ibadan.”

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The governor, in a statement he personally signed, said that the measures would ensure peaceful co-existence among residents in parts of the state.

He stated that some of the steps would include the  decision to deploy security apparatus, exploring dialogue, collaborating with federal agencies and enforcing existing laws to maintain order and peaceful co-existence.

The statement, made available to newsmen in Ibadan, further indicated that the measures were being rolled out after a meeting held with representatives of Igangan, Ibarapaland, which was attended by security stakeholders including the recently appointed Commissioner of Police, Oyo State, Mrs. Ngozi Onadeko.

According to him, the authorities came up with a security strategy for the Ibarapa zone to include deployment of additional 200 operatives of the  Oyo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, to man hotspots of kidnapping/banditry, especially in the Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun zones.

“These operatives will launch missions to rid the forests of criminals. They will be presenting daily reports of the activities to the governor in the short run and periodic reports in the long run,” the statement reads.

The governor also said that his administration would adopt continuous dialogue as one of the measures aimed at ending insecurity in Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun areas.

His words: “In the next few weeks, the government will hold town hall meetings and community outreaches, bringing together residents and security agencies to talk about issues of immediate concern and how they can be resolved through dialogue and more effective community policing.”

Makinde also indicated that his government would ensure the documentation of foreigners as one of the strategies aimed at combating crime.

He said: “As stated in an earlier press conference, the government will be proceeding with the documentation of foreigners, especially those who are working in mines.

“This will ensure that only foreigners who have legitimate interests in Oyo State will remain within our territory.”

Besides, the governor also listed the enforcement of existing laws as one of the measures to end criminality in the state.

He stated: “The government will continue to enforce the Oyo State Open Rearing and Grazing Regulation Law, 2019.

“This law also regulates the activities of herdsmen in Oyo State.

“The authorities have directed the Amotekun Corps to continue collaborating with ‘Operation Burst’ and local vigilante groups in enforcing this law.

“You will recall that in the security meeting of South West governors and other stakeholders two days ago, it was agreed that open grazing be banned in the entire South West zone.”

Another measure contained in the security strategy as made public by the governor is the decision to further collaborate with federal security agencies operating in the state.

He said that the Oyo State government “will continue to support the police and other federal security agencies posted to the state in the discharge of their duties.”

Governor Makinde also indicated that his administration was aware of how some farmers had been killed and/or lost their livelihoods to criminal trespass and damage by pastoralists, adding that the State Executive Council was considering the possibility of compensation payments to families of victims or victims of such criminality who could prove their claims.

He also declared that the state government had started the process of prosecuting all suspects arrested for criminal activities in Ibarapa and the Oke-Ogun zones of the state, especially in connection with the ongoing tensions in the area.

Governor Makinde thanked residents of Oyo State who complied with the directive to remain peaceful, and called on them to stay vigilant and always contact the security agencies empowered by law to deal with security issues.

He also restated the government’s resolute commitment to protect the lives and properties of residents of the state.

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The governor made the declaration during a visit to the palace of the Okere of Saki, Oba Khalid Olabisi, where he met with traditional rulers from Oke Ogun Zone 1.

He assured them that his government would continue to do everything possible to develop the state and uplift its people.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the governor was in Oke Ogun to inspect ongoing work at the headquarters of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, OYSADA, Saki.

Governor Makinde, who maintained that Oke Ogun was a treasure base for Oyo State, and that his government would treat it as such, highlighted some of the on-going projects aimed at developing the zone in line with the economic expansion agenda of the administration.

According to the governor, the on-going 68-kilometre Moniya-Iseyin Road, the on-going OYSADA Complex construction, the on-going Saki Township Road construction, as well as the location of the 72 Mobile Police Squadron base in Ago-Are, were some of the efforts to develop the zone as a treasure base of the state.

Commenting on the on-going OYSADA Complex, the governor said: “I have inspected the on-going project of OYSADA headquarters that we brought here. Though they have made some progress, I am still not satisfied. They promised that it will be completed by 10th of December but they said there were challenges with evaluation and release of funds. Now, that is being resolved and I look forward to coming back here by the end of March. I will spend about 10 days; with the whole of government functionaries that will be here with me.”

The governor added that he had already signed an agreement that all the mineral resources in Oke Ogun should be mapped so that the state would be able to extract value for itself and the Oke Ogun region.

The governor equally called on the traditional rulers to continue to support his government, stating that the progress being experienced by the state was an indication of the fact that the traditional rulers and other leaders were doing what they were supposed to do.

He said: “Apart from the fact that I came to greet Kabiyesi and other paramount chiefs that are here seated, I pray that we shall live to see the coming year and shall be a fulfilling one for us.

“I really want to appreciate you for the support you are giving to the current administration in Oyo State. It is your government too. If a state is progressing, it means the rulers at the helm of affairs are practically doing what they are supposed to do. And 2020 in particular has been a very challenging one. We can see that all of us are wearing face masks and observing other guidelines because we are faced with pandemic and economic meltdown. So, it was really tasking. Of course, in our locality here, the issue of banditry is also another issue.

“For instance, Saki shares an international border and it is more of an international issue because we have bandits all the way from Mali that are trying to cross. Once they gain entrance into anywhere they can operate, they will stay there.

“When we inaugurated Amotekun, you gave us your support. When some bandits went to the bush at Kishi, we were able to flush them out with all the efforts of all of us here.

“So, we want to use this opportunity to say thank you to you all.”

In his response, the Okere of Saki, appreciated the governor and his entourage, stating that the Makinde administration had done many things to make people happy, especially in Saki.

He said: “On Saki Township Road, we are gradually seeing light at the end of the tunnel. The speed at which the project is being done is commendable. Really speaking, in the Oke Ogun axis of the state, we have so many things to thank Governor Makinde for.

“Many of our people also asked us to thank you concerning the way you handled the LAUTECH divorce issue successfully. We have also heard that you are planning to make it a multi-campus institution. We want to beg you that we need two campuses here in Oke Ogun.

“If you have observed, our axis is the only zone that is backward in Oyo State, which is not supposed to be so. I am saying this because we are blessed with many mineral resources. We just want someone that can support us a little bit. And who will? It is actually the government.”

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The group in a message signed by its president, Otunba Bamidele Dada, and Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, respectively, said at 81 years, Mama was certainly old, especially given the life span in Nigeria.

It however said no matter how old one’s beloved one is, one would not want to miss such a person, especially a person who had sacrificed so much and had impacted positively on one’s life.

According to the group, “From the testimonies we heard, Mama was a loving mother and a stabilising factor within the larger Makinde family. We pray for the peaceful repose of her soul.

“Though Mama has gone to be with the Lord, she will sorely be missed by all.”

In the meantime, the group has  lauded Governor Makinde for the award of contract to reconstruct one of the major roads in Oke Ogun area, Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho, stating that that showed the commitment of the administration to develop not only Oke Ogun but the entire state in general.

“We seize this opportunity to thank His Excellency on the approval he gave for the reconstruction of Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho road. It was in line with the governor’s avowal that his administration will enhance the infrastructure of Oke Ogun as well as other parts of the state. We pray that the Almighty God will continue to strengthen our governor and imbue his administration with the wherewithal to uplift the state,” it said.

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The forum in press release signed by its president, Dr. Olusegun Ajuwon; general secretary, Mr. Zachaeus Adepoju and the publicity secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi,  described the commissioning of the Squadron at Ago-Are, Atisbo LCDA, Oke-Ogun, as a welcome and commendable development.

It would be recalled that the state governor inaugurated the mobile police squadron on Wednesday last week and provided the outfit with six Hilux trucks for its smooth operation.

These were in addition to motorcycles that would be provided while the governor also had a stopover at Ipapo where he commissioned a magnificent school building and distributed farm inputs to farmers in the area.

Farm inputs were also distributed by the governor at Iseyin and Ago-Are in addition to some palliative materials.

ODCF recalled that during the election campaign, Governor Makinde and his deputy, Remi Olaniyan, promised to bring development to all sections of the state including Oke-Ogun, an area that had been long neglected.

The release reads in part, “From all indications, Seyi Makinde administration has been making efforts to fulfill its campaign promises. We noticed with satisfaction the ongoing work on Moniya-Iseyin road, the return of the headquarters of Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme (OYSADEP) to Saki, the plan by the governor to build a Government House Annex in Oke-Ogun as well as sundry other things like the Mobile Squadron that is meant to tackle security challenges in our area.”

The forum also expressed appreciation to Governor Makinde for appointing retired General Kunle Togun as chairman of the newly established Amotekun Security outfit in the state.

They seized the opportunity to congratulate the governor for marking one year in office and urged the government not to relent in bringing more development programmes to their area, while assuring that their people would continue to support the administration.

“For being purposeful and for demonstrating the desire to really uplift our dear state, we in Oke-Ogun assure Governor Makinde and his administration of our unflinching support,” they stated.

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The media component of the Oyo State Task Force on COVID-19 led by the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, made the plea during a sensitisation drive on the COVID-19 pandemic in Oke Ogun axis of the state.

The commissioner, who made the call at the weekend in Oorelope Local Government, stated that the concerted efforts of the stakeholders and the state’s security architecture in border towns and villages were necessary to prevent illegal entries, which might pose threat to public health.

Olatubosun, who led members of the committee as well as officials of the state’s Emergency Operations Centre, EOC, on a week-long sensitisation campaign to Oke Ogun zone, maintained that both conventional and non-conventional security apparatuses were important in the bid to check illegal entry into the state at this period.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, quoted Olatubosun as saying that all hands must be on deck in the bid to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Oyo State, adding that the Task Force under the leadership of the governor was doing everything possible based on logic and scientific advice from experts in the Task Force, to put an end to the situation.

Olatubosun also maintained that the sensitisation campaign, which began on Thursday and is expected to cover Oke Ogun and Ibarapa zones, was targeted at enlightening the people of the areas on how they could prevent COVID-19, adding that apart from sensitisation, the state had also been distributing nose masks to residents of the areas.

The commissioner as well as Mrs Adekunbi Oladipo, a member of the Nigeria Red Cross Society, representing the Risk Communication Pillar of the EOC, visited markets and palaces of traditional rulers in the local government, enlightening the people and distributing nose masks produced by the state’s COVID-19 Task Force.

They called for adherence to all the directives issued by the Task Force, including physical distancing, washing of hands and use of sanitisers as well as wearing of nose masks.

Speaking on why it is important for all stakeholders in Oke Ogun to work together to check illegal entries into the area, Olatubosun noted that the area had many border towns and villages, which share boundaries with neighbouring Kwara and Niger states as well as countries like Togo and Benin Republic, among others.

He stated that in order to check the influx of people who might have contracted COVID-19 into the state, it had become imperative for all stakeholders to work together, emphasising that both conventional and non-conventional security agencies had roles to play in stopping the illegal immigration by foreigners who might want to come to the state through the borders.

He added that since the local security men are the ones living in the various communities, they therefore, have important roles to play.

He also stated that other people working and living in the border communities would have to join hands with security agencies and the government.

Olatubosun said: “In Oke Ogun here, we have inter-state and international borders. We have at Kisi, Saki and other areas. So, what we can do is to strengthen the security, sensitise community leaders, traditional rulers to help us work in synergy with the conventional security. Let’s get vigilante groups, hunters that will form non-conventional security. It is the non-conventional that can determine what and how to curb the migrants.

“At times, such migrants take bush paths and it is only those that are natives of an area that can track the illegal entrances using their native intelligence.”

The commissioner said that the government had equipped the conventional securities and that the local security had been helping the situation, citing the case of the migrants from the northern part of the country who were tracked down in Ogbomoso.

Olatubosun, maintained that the feedback from communities in the state was favourable, saying the COVID-19 Task Force had released the phone numbers of the EOC, which he said could be reached by all.

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This is just as the group said having suffered neglect from past state and federal governments, pleaded with the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde, to reverse the negative scenario and beam its searchlight on Oke Ogun in its ongoing development programmes.

The president of the group which is made up of professionals and leaders of thought, Dr. Olusegun Ojebode, while addressing journalists in Saki, canvassed for increased security synergy between Oyo State government and the traditional institution in Oke Ogun area.

He congratulated Makinde on his electoral victory at the Supreme Court, stating that “with the apex court’s verdict, the government will now have cause to continue the good work it has started, without any unnecessary distraction whatsoever.”

“To this end, we are calling on the government to continue to embark on lofty programmes and policies that will better the lives of the people of Oke Ogun in particular, and Oyo State as a whole,” he said.

Ojebode maintained that citizens of the area felt marginalised before the advent of Makinde’s government, expressing the hope that the present administration would change the trajectory by bringing dividends of democracy to the area.

He said, “Presently, the only tertiary institution in Oke Ogun is the Oke Ogun Polytechnic, Saki.  Although, there are other successful corporate and private ventures in Oke Ogun area, the fact remains that in terms of government attention, both state and federal, the region is yet to be a beneficiary.  This is unfortunate considering the vast natural and human resources with which the region is blessed, hence the popular saying Oke Ogun, the travails of a neglected Treasure.”

He also made a similar clarion call on legislators as well as leaders of shades of beliefs, urging them to forge a common front and promote the basic ethos of religious tolerance by pushing for peace and security in Oke Ogun in the overall interest of the entire citizenry.

“As a club, we are prepared to partner sister organisations in the mission of peace maintenance and religious tolerance.  Unscrupulous politicians who may want to use our peace-loving people as guinea pigs to ply their trade are hereby warned to look for job elsewhere,”  Ojebode stated.

He then solicited the cooperation of all traditional rulers in Oke Ogun to join force with the present administration in the state in its socio-economic development agenda.

On the peaceful selection of the new Okere of Sakiland, he lauded the kingmakers for the rancour-free selection and wished the Oba-elect, Alhaji Khalid Olabisi, from Ado ruling house of Saki, divine wisdom to drive the affairs of the community into greatness.

“We appreciate the Government of Oyo State for making security one of its focal agenda.  Security issue cannot be an exclusive government affair and that is why we have been consistent in partnering government on security knowing full well that peace is the absolute panacea for growth and development.

“We take security as a collective responsibility and that is why we are soliciting the cooperation of our traditional rulers who are definitely the custodians of peace within their domains such that all the areas in Oke Ogun and Oyo State in general will be a place where security is ensured and where peace will reign,” he said.

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