Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo has warned criminals to steer clear of Oyo, saying his administration is resolute about the state being crime-free.
Makinde sounded this warning while distributing a total of 30 pickup vehicles to different security agencies and formations in the state at a short ceremony held at the state Secretariat on Thursday.
While handing over the vehicle keys, Makinde, represented by his deputy, Mr Bayo Lawal, said the distribution was a continued fulfillment of his administration to support security agencies to maintain security in the State.
As distributed, the police got the largest chunk with 15 vehicles followed by the governor’s monitoring unit which got eight vehicles.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority (OYRTMA) got two vehicles each; the Airforce, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and Hunters and Forest Security Service got one each.
“At the close of our security meeting yesterday, the governor said we should handover the vehicles for the purpose of maintaining security in Oyo State. They must be utilised mainly for the purpose of security maintenance.
“All together, we are giving out 30 units of security vehicles for the purpose of maintaining peace and security in Oyo State and I believe that with all the efforts we are putting in place, criminals will look elsewhere to perpetrate their heinous crime.
“The governor has said we will continue to give support wherever we need to,” Lawal said.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser on Security to Governor Makinde, Fatai Owoseni, explained that the 15 additional vehicles were given to Divisional Police Headquarters and some critical sectors in the Police such as the Police Force Mobile Squadron in Ago-Are and Ibadan and the Counter-Terrorism Unit, which were not captured earlier.
Owoseni added that the Governor’s Monitoring Unit, is a blend of different security agencies including the Police and the Air Force, for immediate response to 615 distress calls.
Owoseni also said that the unit is to ensure a holistic security architecture and it is linked directly to the Security Control Room.
The former Lagos State Commissioner of Police equally clarified that the 30 distributed vehicles were not the same as those promised by the governor to commemorate his first 100 days in office under Omituntun 2.0, noting that the 100 KIA Saloon Cars will still be branded and distributed to security agencies in the State.
Speaking earlier, the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Police Command, Mr Adebola Hamzat, commended Governor Makinde for his continued investments in ensuring the maintenance of peace and security in the State.
He promised that the facilities would be put to good use by the police and its sister agencies, saying: “I am glad, on behalf of my other colleagues in the security services, for the commitment, dedication and continued assistance of the Oyo State government to the security architecture of the State.
“This is not the first time. We had this kind of support before, we are having it now and we will continue to have it.
“I want to promise the state government that these facilities will be put to best use. By the grace of God, the continued peace we have been enjoying in Oyo shall be maintained.”
. TheWitness
