Seeks release of kidnaped Oyo students, teachers
By Dayo Johnson Akure
The Deji of Akureland, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi, has described the security challenges in the South West and Nigeria as a whole as worrisome.
Oba Aladelusi appealed to President Bola Tinubu and security agencies to intensify efforts to ensure the timely rescue of the kidnapped victims in Oyo State.
He made the appeal when he received the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the South West, DIG Fayoade Mustapha, at his palace in Akure, the state capital.
The monarch decried the worsening insecurity in Nigeria, which he said has crept into parts of the South West.
“You can imagine the emotional and mental stress these children and their teachers are subjected to.
“This is a sad scenario that calls for urgent and proactive action,” Oba Aladelusi said.
He acknowledged the efforts of security agencies in combating crime but stressed that more must be done.
“We cannot rest until the battle against insurgency, kidnapping, banditry and other forms of criminality is totally won,” he said.
The Deji thanked DIG Mustapha for the visit and urged him to ensure police welfare is adequately prioritized to boost officers’ morale.
Earlier, DIG Mustapha commended Oba Aladelusi for supporting the police through crime prevention and effective community policing.
He said traditional rulers have a pivotal role to play in crime control and assured the monarch that the police are leaving no stone unturned to secure the safe and timely return of all the Oyo kidnapped victims.
In another development, top officers of the Ondo State Police Command, led by tactical commanders and operatives, conducted an extensive operational sweep of Ilu-Abo Forest and adjoining communities.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, said “the operation was part of a sustained offensive against kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism and other violent crimes.
“It involved combing identified flashpoints, forest corridors and suspected criminal enclaves believed to serve as hideouts.
“Several suspected hideouts were located and dismantled.
“Makeshift camps and structures believed to have been used for criminal activities were destroyed, while operatives conducted intensive searches of the surrounding forest to prevent the re-establishment of such camps,” Abayomi said.
He said the exercise aimed to disrupt criminal networks, deny criminals freedom of movement, and reinforce residents’ confidence in the state’s security architecture.
The police image maker reiterated the command’s commitment to proactive, intelligence-driven policing, stressing that forests and remote locations in the state would not be allowed to serve as sanctuaries for kidnappers and other criminals.
Abayomi assured law-abiding residents that the command would sustain aggressive operations across all identified criminal hotspots until all threats are effectively neutralized.
“The Ondo State Police Command remains resolute in its determination to protect lives and property,” he said.
He urged the public to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information to keep the state safe.
