Last night, I had a robust engagement with my compatriots from Edu and Patigi Local Government Araas. It was an emergency meeting to review the security situation in the two LGAs and share ideas on how to better curtail very disturbing incidents of kidnapping and violent attacks on innocent people. We are exploring having our own civilian task force whose members will be recruited from our local communities, trained, supported, and allied with the security forces to strengthen our defence mechanisms in the face of the unique threats that we face. The details will be worked on, fine-tuned, and subjected to strategic consultation with different stakeholders for success and sustainability. This will complement what we currently have.
In addition to our heeding many distress calls in the past, we discussed the imperatives of supporting victims of these incidents as another token of acknowledgement of their grief and losses — human and material. This will include my personal visit to the area.
We similarly discussed the College of Education (Technical) Lafiagi, including modalities for boosting funding and infrastructure upgrades — building on our previous interventions. We also exchanged ideas on the issue of the power supply in the axis.
This meeting occurred a few hours after I returned from a visit to Oke Ode, Ifelodun LGA, following the sad incident of Sunday, September 28 in which we lost some forest guards, local hunters, and community leaders. They will not die in vain. Beyond our solidarity and planned support for their families, we will not spare the criminals behind their deaths.
As we work harder with the Federal Government and security forces to curtail these incidents, I call on every Kwaran to join this collective responsibility to defend our right to life and security.
