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Amotekun Implemented As A Stopgap to Combat Armed Herdsmen Crisis – Makinde



Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde has said the governors of the South West inaugurated Amotekun as a short term fix to Combat the threat posed by the menace of armed Herdsmen and militia in the region of the country.

Makinde said this during an overnight closed-door consultative meeting with stakeholders of crisis-prone Ibarapa zone in Igbo-Ora.

Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, Gov Makinde said that he believes the security challenge in the zone is a collective problem and that with the commitment shown by the stakeholders and the government, the administration will be able to successfully tackle the problem.

The governor will continue community engagement in the morning with wider sections of the society.

He added that he feels the pain of residents and citizens of the zone explaining that the late Dr. Fatai Aborode was a friend he had close interaction with and his death caused him great pain.

Makinde, however, noted that the state has approved the setting up of Peace and Security Committee at the local government levels, adding that the state government would put in place other security measures to ensure peace in the area.

“You know they say that the Governors are the chief Security officers but that is when it’s convenient. Because, quite frankly, the governors are at the mercy of federal security agencies to implement certain laws. That’s why we’ve been clamouring for the state police.


The state’s helmsman also disclosed that the government had directed the immediate take-off of an identity management programme to enable it to know who is who in the communities.

Makinde added, “And, at least, I am quite glad that some of the initiatives that the government is trying to put in place to stem insecurity are coming to fruition.

“We will ensure that our identity management programme takes off as quickly as possible. We will also ensure the setting up of peace and security committee that is all-encompassing in the councils.”

The governor also urged political office holders to always call the attention of the government to the happenings within their localities, saying that he decided to sleep over in Ibarapa to feel the pulse of the people.

Problems don’t go away completely, you have to keep working at it and pushing to where you really want to be and that is what we will be doing.

But the law is there, the implementation has not been smooth but we will keep working at it.”

When quizzed about the 200 Amotekun officers deployed to Ibarapa zone. Makinde said, “Yes, they have been deployed. They are here and we are supporting them with logistics now. We brought 4 additional operational vehicles for them and we will support them with more logistics as time goes on but they are here on ground. You can watch out for them in the morning, I’m sure you’ll see them.”

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