Oladimeji Ramon
Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, on
Thursday urged security agencies and traditional rulers to be at alert
to prevent all forms of criminality and possible infiltration of the
state by fleeing illegal miners and bandits displaced from Zamfara
State.
This was contained in a statement by his Chief Press
Secretary, Mr Adeniyi Adesina, after the governor spoke during a
security sensitisation programme attended by traditional rulers,
security operatives, civil society organisations, politicians, market
women, community leaders and top government functionaries in Osogbo.
Oyetola
said, “It has become imperative to put measures in place to checkmate
the influx of displaced illegal miners to prevent the reverberation
effect of the Zamfara State crisis in Osun.”
The governor
emphasised the need for security powered by intelligence gathering,
vigilance by traditional rulers in their domains and the need to alert
security agents to their observations to prevent crime and criminality.
The
governor and security chiefs also cautioned landlords against renting
out their houses to people without knowing their background or profiling
them.
“If you rent out your house to a person who turns out
to be a bandit, you will bear the consequence with him,” Oyetola warned
landlords.
He urged traditional rulers to work hard in the villages because illegal miners “are gathering in remote areas of our state.”
The
Federal Government banned all forms of mining in Zamfara State
following sustained killings by bandits propelled by those believed to
be illegal miners.
The governor said, “The purpose of this
stakeholders’ meeting is to sensitise the security stakeholders on the
need to forestall possible influx of illegal miners and the attendant
risks of kidnapping, killings, drug dealings, arms peddling and rape.
“The
overall objective is to better secure our state, make our mineral-rich
communities peaceful, make mining commercially-viable and deliver
development to our people.
“In a nation where securing our oil
wealth has been a perennial challenge, ensuring that our state’s mineral
wealth does not become a resource curse is a task we must all embrace
squarely.
“It is in light of this that we regard the recent ban
on mining activities in Zamfara State as a potential threat to mining
activities in our state, which is blessed with mining deposits in
commercial quantity.
“We must not yield our state to bandits and aggressors. We must work together to secure our communities.”
Source:- Punchng
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