Oyebanji to Ekiti Obas: Don’t Come Beg for Anyone When Investigation Starts

•Traditional rulers want FG to increase security in state

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, yesterday, pleaded with traditional rulers in the state to avoid begging for whoever is picked up for profiling by security agents the moment investigation commences into the recent killings of two obas in the state.

But the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers, has called on the federal government to deploy more security personnel to Ekiti in order to beef up security in the state.

Oyebanji in his remarks at the opening session of the meeting with traditional rulers at the State Traditional Council Chamber, Ado-Ekiti, held behind closed doors, also conveyed the condolence message of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He said the president sympathised with the traditional rulers on the loss of two of their colleagues – the Onimojo of Imojo Ekiti, Oba Olatunde Samuel Olusola and the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba David Babatunde Ogunsakin in Monday attack by some gunmen.

The governor told the monarchs that investigations into the killings of their colleagues had begun, and urged them to cooperate with the security agencies in the course of the investigations.

“I covet your support and advice that will help security agencies. Another thing I want to tell our royal fathers is that in an attempt to fish out perpetrators of this sacrilege in this state, a lot of arrests will be made.

“I will not want our royal fathers to get involved in begging, because, most of the time, when you pick people up, and you want to profile them, they will run to Kabiyesis and they will be pleading on their behalf that he knows nothing about it.

“I can assure you that if anybody is picked up, he will be profiled, if vindicated, he will be released after investigation,” he said.

He stated that the meeting with the traditional rulers was a way out of the present web of insecurity in the state as he believed the deployment of both formal and native security apparatus would bring out the desired result.

“We have our own structures too, we should be in collaboration with our hunters, vigilante groups, with the local government. Once I have those resolution and roadmap from our royal fathers, we will then agree with the local government chairmen on how to go about it,” he said.

Oyebanji also told them to come up with an implementable roadmap for securing their localities, in line with government’s plan to get the local institution play some roles in safety and security of the environment.

“I know that this is a very sad moment for all of us, on behalf of the government of Ekiti state and the President of the Federation, I extend my condolences to all traditional rulers.

“Mr President asked me to personally express his condolences to all of us and he has given me his message for our royal fathers. He said, I should tell you that we are in this together.

“He said I should make a commitment that those behind this will be fished out as soon as possible. And he said I should also tell you that the children that were abducted, by the special grace of God will be back home unhurt.”

The governor stressed the need for collaboration among members of the various communities with the security agencies in the state to achieve the well-desired security of lives and properties in the state.

He commended the unity among the royal fathers even before the creation of the state, which he said had helped in bringing peace to Ekiti.

Also, addressing Ekiti people in a statewide  broadcast aired Tuesday night, Oyebanji, expressed his readiness to rally all security apparatus available to fight and flush out criminal elements who might want to make Ekiti a killing field and a safe haven for blood-sucking criminals.

According to Oyebanji, the state would  reinvigorate the local security outfits to work in synergy with conventional security networks to break the ranks of those perpetrating heinous crimes in the facets of kidnapping, banditry and killings in the state.

Meanwhile, the traditional rulers, who said the state was under-policed also demanded that the state government should empower them with adequate resources to police and secure their respective domains to complement efforts of the security agencies.

They also called on all traditional rulers to take necessary measures to ensure all forests currently occupied by bandits and kidnappers were flushed out immediately and that no bushes and forests should be occupied by anybody.

These were part of the decisions reached by the monarchs at a meeting with the Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, at the State Traditional Council Chamber, Ado-Ekiti  yesterday.

The meeting which was at the instance of the governor to review security situation in the state and get the input of the Obas, was attended by heads of security agencies and the Commander of Amotekun Corps in the state.

Briefing newsmen on the communique reached at the end of the stakeholders’ meeting, the Chairman, Ekiti Council of Traditional Rulers and the Olojudo of Ido Ekiti, Oba Ayorinde Ilori Faboro, commiserated with the bereaved families and communities of the late colleagues and the abducted school children and teachers in Emure-Ekiti same day Monday January 29, 2024.

Other decisions reached by the monarchs included the need for native security systems to work together to end all manners of criminality in the state, even as they observed one minute silence for their colleagues.