TheCable

The Oyo government has established a joint security base at Mamu village, an area that shares border with Ogun state.

Speaking when he inspected the base on Monday, Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, said the initiative is part of efforts to tackle kidnapping in the area.

He noted that the base is equipped with security features such as closed circuit television cameras what will monitor movement in the area.

“This particular place has really been in the news for kidnapping — people coming across the border to perpetrate evil,” Makinde said in a statement by Taiwo Adisa, his spokesman.

“This is a pilot project and we want to secure all the entry and exit points to Oyo State. This is the border with Ogun State. If everything works well, because we have CCTV cameras out there that are being monitored from the control room, if anything is going on here, they can alert us so that the security agencies can deal with the situation appropriately.

“But for us, if we know people coming in and we can trace them or if any crime is committed inside the state and they want to run out, we can activate the process whereby they can be apprehended at the entry/exit points.”

He also assured residents that the government is collaborating with security operatives to ensure peace in the state.

“They are all working round the clock to ensure that the people of Oyo State are safe and secure. We only need to encourage them and that is why I have come here personally to let them know that we are all together,” the governor said.

“To the commuters, all of these efforts are to ensure that they are able to go about their businesses without thinking about insecurity.”

Makinde also presented five operational vehicles to the Oyo state police command, and another three vehicles to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the state.