Makinde: Assault on OYRTMA Officials Condemnable

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State yesterday condemned the brutalisation of two officials of the Oyo State Road Transport Management Agency (OYRTMA) by Nigeria Immigration Service personnel in Ibadan.

The governor decried the inhumane treatment meted out to the OYRTMA officials for apprehending an officer of the Immigration Service for  the violation of traffic rules.

Makinde stated this yesterday when he paid visits to the two assaulted officials, Mr Nurudeen Abiola, resident at Binukonu Olunloyo Area and Mr Taiwo Adeagbo, resident at Oke-‘Badan area as well as the Nigeria Immigration Service, Oyo State Command.

He described the incident as an unfortunate one that should never have happened, noting that Oyo State wants to be known for upholding the rule of law and that everyone must obey traffic rules, irrespective of their status.

The governor assured the victims that the state government would take necessary action and bring the culprits to book.

He said: “First, this should not be happening at all. It is very unacceptable. Whether you are Immigration official or you work for other paramilitary agencies, these individuals are just trying to enforce the laws of the state.

“The fact that you work for a federal agency does not mean you are superior. So, I have asked the Honourable Attorney-General to ensure we follow this through.

“We will write to the Immigration authorities and prosecute the people involved, as this is not acceptable in Oyo State.”

Also speaking at the office of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Agodi Gate, Ibadan, where he was received by Comptroller Abdulrasheed Ademola, Governor Makinde advocated a better intra and inter-agency cooperation among security agencies in the state.

He equally declared that there must not be a recurrence of such incident, saying: “Oyo State is known for inter- and intra-agency cooperation. So, the incident is very unfortunate.”

“I have asked the State’s Comptroller of Immigration that they should cooperate with us. Yes, they said this thing happened at the zonal level. There is an ACG in charge of the zone, who we plan to reach out to.

“I have been assured by the Nigerian Immigration Service, Oyo State Command, and also the zone, that they will cooperate with us to get to the bottom of this matter and ensure that this does not happen again.

“Oyo State must be known for the rule of law and we have zero tolerance for people breaking traffic rules,” he said.