A monarch, Olola of Olla Kingdom in Kwara State, Oba Stephen Billy Olajide has advocated the use of traditional means to tackle security challenges.
He spoke at a meeting held on Monday between the State Commissioner of Police, Ebunoluwarotimi Adelesi, traditional rulers and stakeholders of Isin and Ekiti local government areas of the State.
The meeting is part of the efforts to find lasting solutions to the incessant kidnap and killings recorded in the areas in the last two weeks.
“As Africans, we must not fold our arms and give up because there are other traditional means by which security challenges could be tackled,” he asserted.
Oba Stephen also stressed the need for the police authorities to provide necessary modern crime fighting tools to the police, such as CCTV cameras and drones in the forest and towns.
Recall that two victims were killed, while five suspected kidnappers were arrested and five victims of kidnap incidents were rescued by a combined team of the police, hunters and vigilante.
In his own speech at the meeting, the Olusin of Isanlu-Isin, Oba Olugbenga Oloyede Solomon reiterated the need for more security personnel, vehicles and other logistics, as well as motivating the vigilantes and hunters.
He also urged his fellow traditional rulers to work with security agents by giving timely and actionable information.
The Ardo of Fulani in Isanlu-Isin, who spoke on behalf of Fulani herders and Miyetti-Allah, pledged cooperation and support in the efforts to tackle security challenges in the areas.
Earlier in her address, the CP said the need to nip the incessant abductions and killings in the areas in the bud cannot be overemphasised.
“In order to achieve the arduous task, all hands must be on deck,” she declared.
The CP, noted that “the propensity of some mischievous natives joining hands with the evil ones to perpetrate the dastardly acts cannot be completely erased.”
She further advised the traditional rulers to warn their youths and others sabotaging the efforts of security agents to desist or else the long arms of the law would soon catch up with them.
The CP also advised Fulani settlers, herders and non-natives, to cooperate with their landlords in jointly fighting the common enemies.
She stressed the need to warn herders among the Fulani settlers to avoid night and child grazing to forestall issues of grazing on crops, which often caused conflicts between herders and farmers.