Despite Abiodun's Investment On Security, Assassins Creep in, Kill Monarch, Three Others in Ogun

The late Alagodo of Agodo, Oba Ayinde Odetola

THE recent security threat in Ogun state has called for concern by residents and stakeholders in the Gateway state in the last six months.

The lately criminal activities within and outside the state capital are giving residents of the state sleepless night and signs of worry as to whether the Chief Security Officer of the state is actually in charge or bereft of ideas on the safety of the people.

Despite huge investment by the current administration in the state led by Governor Dapo Abiodun on security, criminal activities have remained unabated and taking a new dimension with a strong signal for all and sundry to seek for self-defense as the government seems to be helpless.

Abiodun's administration was greeted at inception with farmer-herder clash which prompted the governor, in conjunction with sister Southwest states, launched the South West Security Network, Amotekun to stem the tide of rising insecurity in the state.

Also, on Friday, 21st of January, 2022, the governor launched Operation MESA in the state with a warning to make the state unhabitable for all criminals including kidnappers and cyber crimes popular known as "yahoo-yahoo".

Governor made this declaration at the launching of OP-MESA at the arcade ground of the Governor's office in Abeokuta.

Operation MESA is a joint Internal Security Operational platform comprising officers drawn from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, and the Department of State Security.

The governor also disclosed that it is working with federal agencies and its Oyo State counterpart in the area of security along the borderline, especially on Lagos-Ibadan expressway where kidnapping has been a common occurrence. 

Governor Abiodun noted that the high spate of criminality especially kidnapping prompted the government decision, saying his administration cannot afford to leave the safety of the people at the mercy of hoodlums.

He explained that the reactivation of OP-MESA in the state was to complement the existing security outfits in the State to tackle security challenges in some trouble areas of the state where kidnapping has become rampant.

He maintained that the OP-MESA team would traverse the local governments and work closely with the CDAs, traditional hunters, and the Amotekun.

He, therefore, charged members of the security outfit to be disciplined, committed, dedicated and effective in tackling criminals.

He said that his administration would not fold its arms and allow the state to be known for the wrong reasons.

"We will make Ogun State inhabitable for all criminals. The other day, I was in a meeting in Abuja and attendance was the Chairman of EFCC, and sadly, he said to me that Ogun State tops the list on the 'Yahoo Yahoo Boys'. In my response, I said I am not surprised because Ogun State is the education capital of this country and you will find such around educational institutions and he agreed with me.

"We have decided that we will set up our State Commission that will be targeted towards eliminating these sorts of financial crimes. Our state commission will collaborate with the Federal 

Commission so that we do not occupy that false place in this area."

But barely 72hours the Governor read the riots act to the evil doers, a team of unknown gunmen stormed the state, and gruesomely murdered a traditional ruler with three other persons suspected to be the Monarch's friends and burnt them to ashes in a broad daylight.

The tragedy occurred on Monday as the Alagodo of Agodo in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Ayinde Odetola, was allegedly assassinated by some yet to be identified assailants.

Residents of the area told journalists that the killings followed a clash over the chieftaincy title of the Alagodo. 

It was gathered that there was a crisis over who occupies the seat between Ake and Owu people of Egbaland.

Sources said the late monarch was from the Ake section of Egba, but there had been misgivings that an Ake person cannot rule the town mostly dominated by Owu people.

Also, it was gathered that a brother to the late monarch was gruesomely murdered not long ago.

Oba Odetola was reportedly killed at about 11.00 am alongside his friends when they got to the town from an outing, a source said.

When THE ENCOUNTER NEWS visited the town, the whole town had been deserted following the incident.

One of the siblings of the late traditional ruler who identified herself as, Chief (Mrs) Adenike Akintade, confirmed the killing.

She said, “I had just been discharged from hospital early this morning, only to start mourning the brutal assassination of my brother by 11 am. Kabiesi called me on Saturday, urging me to reduce my activities, saying stress could contribute to my illness.

“Oba Odetola lost his younger brother to the imbroglio some months ago; the young man was butchered by the so-called hoodlums, today, Kabiesi is no more, what a world.”

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident on Monday night.

He said the hoodlums, after killing the traditional ruler, burnt him with his car.

Oyeyemi said the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, and the Special Security Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Olusola Subair had visited the town for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.

He added that though no arrest has been made, the CP had directed that the homicide unit of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Police Command should commence investigation on the matter.

However, the state government had continued to receive more knocks than accolades following the dastard incident.

Many who spoke to THE ENCOUNTER NEWS described the launch of the new security structure by the Governor as a funfair and political exigency.

According to a Public Analyst and Political commentator, Otunba Eddy Ademosu the persistent rising insecurity in the state despite the enormous amount of resources invested in security was a colossal waste.

"But where is the newly launched Ogun State Security Outfit - OP(MESA)? What about the so-called 'Amotekun' launched with pageant late last year? Oh!, they are simply for funfair and political exigencies?, He asked. 

He added, "It will amount to a colossal waste of public funds if insecurity persists in Ogun State despite the enormous resources deployed to stem the trend so far.

"The trend that is emanating in Ogun State recently, in terms of governance model, is that the government does a 'copy and paste' module from Lagos State without being original to the peculiarities of the State. We need to be ingenious in running the affairs of our State because of its distinct compositions.

"We are a transit state and security is bound to be an issue. Except we lock down the border towns, the fleeing criminals will keep operating unabated/unchecked. We can do better."

Also speaking, the spokesperson to former PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and PDP leader in Ogun state, Chief Segun Showunmi mocked Governor Abiodun for playing kid-gloves with security of lives and property in the state.

Showunmi while reacting to the brutal killing of the royal father in the state explained that, the security apparatus has never been so weak as witnessed under current APC administration in the state.

According to him, "when those who have the responsibility of securing the citizens and people of Ogun State watch helplessly as a traditional ruler is killed in such brutal and barbaric manner in spite of the huge resources they claim to be spending of security, especially the public show they did for Amotekun, I have to say May the soul of the Alagodo of Agodo, Oba Odetola, his aides and friends rest in peace. 

"May this time pass quickly and may we in the immediate future reset Ogun. Every administration over the years has confronted some security challenges for this is expected with our state’s location and the national security architecture defects, but the present administration has not done enough. 

"It is beyond embarrassing for the altar ego of our state and its Chief Security Officer, the Governor to have to be told in Abuja that his state, our state is the criminality capital of fraud in Nigeria. It is my opinion that the security challenge in the state needs more than lip service and procurement, which is a coy to make money while the people die."

Meanwhile, Governor Abiodun, on Tuesday, condemned the violent killing of Oba Ayinde Odetola, the traditional ruler of Agodo in Ewekoro local government area of the state.

The governor vowed to visit the full wrath of law on the perpetrators of the assassination of the monarch and three of his aides.

Declaring that his administration would not tolerate breach of peace and harmony being currently enjoyed in the state, Governor Abiodun, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, also directed the security agencies to immediately fish out the killers.

In the statement, Governor Abiodun  sent a stern warning to those threatening the peace of the state, stressing the incumbent administration would stop at nothing to deal decisively with the perpetrators by prosecuting and meting out the full wrath of the law on them. 

The governor, who described the incident as unfortunate noted that politics, land and chieftaincy matters should not attract descent to self-help and killings.

"Security of lives and property tops our responsibilities as a government and we will not allow people to take laws into their hands", the governor was quoted as saying.

He also warned that hirelings, parents and guardians should call their wards to order and no plea for clemency will be tolerated for acts of brigandage, murder and illegal conducts.

"To those threatening the peace of our state, we will stop at nothing to fish them out, prosecute them and mete out the full wrath of the law on them. 

"We have zero-tolerance for these ignoble conducts. Politics, land and chieftaincy disputes are no excuses for people to take laws into their hands. All hirelings, parents and guardians should call their wards to order.

"OP-MESA, Joint Internal Security Task Force, Amotekun, vigilantes groups, DSS Police and NSCDC are not mere toothless bulldogs. They are armed and deployed to strike agent provocateurs", Abiodun was quoted to have said in the statement.

He, however, commiserated with the family of the late monarch and the residents of Agodo town, assuring them that killers would not go unpunished for carrying out that heinous act.