THE ARMED ROBBERY INCIDENT AT OGBAGI AKOKO: AKETI'S BAPTISMAL OF FIRE.

Ogbagi is an ancient town in Akoko North West local government Area of Ondo state. The town is a very serene, quite and peaceful place, with a very congenial atmosphere. The inhabitants are very orderly, industrious and law abiding. Myself having been partly trained with reasources sourced from Ogbagi by my uncle who is an illustrious son of Ogbagi soil, i can confidently claim the town as mine.

Yesterday, 7/3/2017, the calm town was dazed and jolted into a frenetic confusion by the violent staccato of a mixture of gun shots and dynamite, fired sporadically by evil bandits who invaded the town purposely to kill, maim and loot. At the end of their dastardly escapades, the deadly robbers succeeded in raising down the only bank in the town with dynamite. They then shot and killed four persons, injured many more and then looted the vault of the bank dry before escaping with their loot, leaving the people of the otherwise joyful town in anguish, tears and sorrow.

This sad incident was just one out of several others of it's type in Akoko Division of Ondo state, as recorded under the immediate past administration of Former governor Segun Mimiko. I recall that about two years ago, Ikare Akoko came under several of such violent attacks by bandits, in which virtually all the banks in the city were looted and many casualties recorded. In other parts of the state, the security situation is not any better. These days, viral messages are being sent across to some of us the indigens of the state in diaspora, to be very careful on Akure/Ilesa, Owo/Ikare, Ado/Ikare express ways, warning us to guide our loins against kidnappers or armed robbers. So, like the mtn jingo, amagedon is there live in the state, 'everywhere you go' !

The foregoing helpless situation results from the total failure of the immediate past administration in the area of provision of security for the life and property of the people of the state. It is noteworthy that insecurity of life is a general phenomenon across Nigeria, but a good number of state governors confronted the challenge with passion and determination, in an effort that resulted in subduing the men of the underworld and curbing the security problem successfully.

I recall that when governor Willy Obiano took office in Anambra State, it was the security challenges that he first tackled before embarking on the execution of other landmark projects. Similarly, last year when governor Yahaya Bello took office in Kogi, he had to face the state's security challenges frontally by empowering and strengthening all the national security outfits operating in the state. His effort in this respect recently earned him the honour of the nation's Inspector General of police. Today, people of Kogi are sleeping with their eyes closed. The security template established by Lagos state remained unbeaten by any other state in Nigeria. Here, there is a well equipped security outfits called RRS, the operatives of which were drawn from the Nigeria Police. Well motivated and highly equipped, RRS is very effective and efficient in tackling security issues. There is also neighbourhood watch and vigilante groups, all of which compliment the efforts of the conventional Police and other security agencies in the state.

The gains of the foregoing security conscious states are certainly the loss of other states where security ranks last on their scale of preference. Sadly, Ondo state under the immediate past administration seemed to top the list of the states in this condemnable category of poor security provision and management. All the bandits and hardened members of organised violent crimes that escaped from the superior fire power of the well motivated security operatives and properlly equipped law enforcement agencies in those security conscious states, tend to have found a save haven in Ondo state, where no effort was made to secure the people against these violent assailants. That is why the cities, towns, villages and communities of the state have come under the incessant attack, killing and mindless looting of these bandits.

It is in consideration of the foregoing scary situation that one is constrained to now make a clarion call to Aketi, our new governor to please consider the security of life and property of the people of Ondo state as a matter of topmost priority. One does not need to make any noise about this to any government that is well alive to its duties and responsibilities, having regards to the fact that security of life and property is the very essence of governance, since it is the most fundamental aspect of government duty. And with his antecedents and admirable dozier, I trust Aketi to give a favourable consideration to this all important request. May God help him.
O ga o !
Ogbagi is an ancient town in Akoko North West local government Area of Ondo state. The town is a very serene, quite and peaceful place, with a very congenial atmosphere. The inhabitants are very orderly, industrious and law abiding. Myself having been partly trained with reasources sourced from Ogbagi by my uncle who is an illustrious son of Ogbagi soil, i can confidently claim the town as mine.

Yesterday, 7/3/2017, the calm town was dazed and jolted into a frenetic confusion by the violent staccato of a mixture of gun shots and dynamite, fired sporadically by evil bandits who invaded the town purposely to kill, maim and loot. At the end of their dastardly escapades, the deadly robbers succeeded in raising down the only bank in the town with dynamite. They then shot and killed four persons, injured many more and then looted the vault of the bank dry before escaping with their loot, leaving the people of the otherwise joyful town in anguish, tears and sorrow.

This sad incident was just one out of several others of it's type in Akoko Division of Ondo state, as recorded under the immediate past administration of Former governor Segun Mimiko. I recall that about two years ago, Ikare Akoko came under several of such violent attacks by bandits, in which virtually all the banks in the city were looted and many casualties recorded. In other parts of the state, the security situation is not any better. These days, viral messages are being sent across to some of us the indigens of the state in diaspora, to be very careful on Akure/Ilesa, Owo/Ikare, Ado/Ikare express ways, warning us to guide our loins against kidnappers or armed robbers. So, like the mtn jingo, amagedon is there live in the state, 'everywhere you go' !

The foregoing helpless situation results from the total failure of the immediate past administration in the area of provision of security for the life and property of the people of the state. It is noteworthy that insecurity of life is a general phenomenon across Nigeria, but a good number of state governors confronted the challenge with passion and determination, in an effort that resulted in subduing the men of the underworld and curbing the security problem successfully.

I recall that when governor Willy Obiano took office in Anambra State, it was the security challenges that he first tackled before embarking on the execution of other landmark projects. Similarly, last year when governor Yahaya Bello took office in Kogi, he had to face the state's security challenges frontally by empowering and strengthening all the national security outfits operating in the state. His effort in this respect recently earned him the honour of the nation's Inspector General of police. Today, people of Kogi are sleeping with their eyes closed. The security template established by Lagos state remained unbeaten by any other state in Nigeria. Here, there is a well equipped security outfits called RRS, the operatives of which were drawn from the Nigeria Police. Well motivated and highly equipped, RRS is very effective and efficient in tackling security issues. There is also neighbourhood watch and vigilante groups, all of which compliment the efforts of the conventional Police and other security agencies in the state.

The gains of the foregoing security conscious states are certainly the loss of other states where security ranks last on their scale of preference. Sadly, Ondo state under the immediate past administration seemed to top the list of the states in this condemnable category of poor security provision and management. All the bandits and hardened members of organised violent crimes that escaped from the superior fire power of the well motivated security operatives and properlly equipped law enforcement agencies in those security conscious states, tend to have found a save haven in Ondo state, where no effort was made to secure the people against these violent assailants. That is why the cities, towns, villages and communities of the state have come under the incessant attack, killing and mindless looting of these bandits.

It is in consideration of the foregoing scary situation that one is constrained to now make a clarion call to Aketi, our new governor to please consider the security of life and property of the people of Ondo state as a matter of topmost priority. One does not need to make any noise about this to any government that is well alive to its duties and responsibilities, having regards to the fact that security of life and property is the very essence of governance, since it is the most fundamental aspect of government duty. And with his antecedents and admirable dozier, I trust Aketi to give a favourable consideration to this all important request. May God help him.

Post by: Dauda Adesina Ajongbolo-Joki

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