Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday in Osogbo, Osun State capital said that the federal government would explore community policing and neighbourhood watch programme to tackle growing insecurity in the South Western part of the country.

He maintained that government through the relevant security agencies and stakeholders would collaborate effectively with the traditional rulers to further strengthen the security at the local level.

Osinbajo made these disclosures while briefing journalists at the Osun State Government House, Oke Fia shortly after the end of consultative stakeholders’ meeting with traditional rulers.

According to him, “the theme of our discussion is security and we spent quite a lot of time to understand the security architecture of the state and also to identify where the difficulties may lie. You know that we have already held consultation with all the state governors, including governors from the South West.

“We have also held consultation with the service chiefs. But, this stage of consultation with the traditional rulers is very important because they are key to architectural security of the state, particularly because of the plan we have for community policing, which is one of the methods we have adopted.”

Osinbajo continued: “I am sure you have heard about the IG’s plan about recruiting policemen locally in their local government and the policemen would work in their local government so that they would better understand the terrain and neighbourhoods.

“Of course, we also expect that they would be involved in working with the neighbourhood programme and in addition as a matter of fact the traditional rulers are the interface between the state government-owned security architecture and the neighbourhood watch and community policing.

“Obviously, we are trying to look at how all of this would work effectively. We would need more money and men on the ground. We need more security personnel,” Osinbajo remarked.

Commenting on the Monday and Tuesday’s violent protests in Abuja by members of the Shiites Muslim movement, he said: “I am sure you have heard what the President said about it already and the instruction given to the Inspector General of the Police. Some of these issues we are thinking ahead about it. I am very sure that given a lot of what has been done and what the IG is doing, they would be able to contain some of these security challenges.”

In an interactive session with journalists, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi said the government had given the commitment to commence aerial monitoring of all the forests in the South West to tackle all forms of criminality.

He stated: “we had a closed-door meeting that was very successful. The Presidency can now feel the concern of traditional rulers. We also believe that the programme the government has put in place can work.

“We are very happy about the programme of neighbourhood watch and community policing, which we have been talking about for a very long time. And, without community policing, we can progress that much. We as Kings and monarchs of various communities would work for hand in hand with security agencies.

“What the government is now putting in place is aerial monitoring of all the forests in the South West on a routine and occasional basis. We got a commitment from the government concerning aerial monitoring of forests. They will deploy more security personnel to the South West so that all the concern and fear of the citizens would come down.

“This would give our subjects, especially those in the diaspora that their input is very significant to their various communities because they are afraid now to come home. With what is happening now, we need them to start coming home. We need to assure them that we have a positive programme in place. The Vice President being directed by Mr President to come across the South West.

“We would monitor those programmes closely for implementation. It won’t be a regular talk show. We want them to work the talk,” Oba Ogunwusi asserted.

Notable traditional rulers at the meeting include the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Olawale Akanbi, Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba Omowonuola Oyewole Oyesosin, Owa of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdulrasheed Olabomo, Orangun of Oke Ila Orangun, Oba Adedokun Abolarin among others. (Nigerian Tribune)

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