The Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu on Tuesday said it was high time to create state police as part of the solution to the spate of insecurity in the country.
The Governor noted that the protection of lives and property of the people must take a major priority, adding that it was part of the reason he was elected to the office to perform.
Akeredolu stated this in Akure, the state capital while playing host to representatives of lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress South-West caucus in the House of Representatives, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
The governor said part of the move to secure Ondo State and South-West, in general, led to the creation of the state security agency also known as Amotekun corps.
He said, ”The most important thing you have said is that we have to think about our people first and in doing that, we have to make a declaration. We felt convinced that we can not have a situation where a first-class Oba is killed, a deputy registrar killed, and the wife of the chief of staff kidnapped. It’s one of the things that led us to create Amotekun.
“When we came up with Amotekun, people were scared they thought it was state police, but we stood our ground and Amotekun has come to stay. You have a duty to us, to our people and that has to do with the issue of state police. The time is now. This rampant security challenge is virtually everywhere. This issue of state police, we need to pursue it.
“If we have the state police, we may not need Amotekun. It will be a great fight for our people. We must stand together. I commend the Governor of Kano State who said cows should not be moved to the south again for grazing.”
The lawmakers, who declared support for Akeredolu over his fight against criminality in the South-West, commended the Governor who is the Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum for his pronouncement that there was no place for criminals in the zone.
The representatives of the caucus, Mr Femi Fakeye (Osun) and Mayowa Akinfolarin (Ondo) insisted that the cultural differences of the various ethnicities in the country must be respected.
Fakeye who led the delegation said they were in support of any legitimate step to flush out criminals in the South-West.
He said, “Because of the stride you have achieved in your first term, the people of Ondo State have returned you for a second term. You have performed and still performing.
“Let us first commend your efforts in Ore – the Ore flyover. That speaks for itself. It’s one of the reasons you are returned. Again, the Ore industrial hub, there is no country that can make it without an industrialized economy.”