Army, police, Ondo government move to tackle insecurity in South West

Following the readiness of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, to deploy special squad to combat the recurring spate of insecurity in South West, the Nigerian Army has assured of its commitment to complement the police.

General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Ibadan, Maj.-Gen. Anthony Bamidele Omozoje, disclosed this in Akure while on a familiarisation visit to the headquarters of the 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure, Ondo State.

Omozoje said that the Nigerian Army, through its anti-kidnapping squad, had commenced the fight against kidnapping and banditry within the six states under the division as well as Edo State.

“We are conducting various operations across the six states of the South-West under the GOC 2 Division, including Edo State. So, whatever the police are doing, we will complement their efforts because in internal security, police take the lead.”

Meanwhile, Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, represented by his Deputy, Agboola Ajayi, emphasised that the efforts of the state government at giving the barracks a facelift was in recognition of role of the Nigerian army not only to the state, but also the society at large.

Akeredolu, who is the Chairman of South-West Governors’ Forum, said the state government would soon extend its hand of fellowship to the police in the state, saying: “The military have sacrifice a lot, so their environment should be well kept.

“They are here to protect us, so, we have to ensure that they live in a decent environment and that is what we have done so that they can continue to do more. The road network is about six kilometres and it is in billions.

“As regards the police barracks we will think of what we can do because they are also here to take care of Ondo State citizens. We must also make sure that they are properly taken care of and live in a decent environment. We will soon reach out to the police barracks.”

The GOC, who inspected facilities within the barracks of the Brigade, lauded the state government for its support in the rehabilitation of road network of the cantonment.

He also commissioned two artillery guns mounted at the entrance of Brigade and charged the soldiers to be dutiful, acknowledging that the road construction would improve service delivery.

“This is done in recognition of the role that the army is playing in providing security, supporting government to function and this will impact on the welfare of officers and troops of this Brigade. And with that, it will also have multiplier effect to deliver on their ability and capacity to deliver on the statutory mandate.

“So, welfare is a key aspect of the military duties. It was done with the effort of the Brigade Commander to secure the area and beautify the environment,” he said.