The Aseyin of Iseyin, HRM, Oba (Dr.) Abdganiy Salawudeen Adekunle Oloogunebi (Ajinese 1) has called on residents of Oyo State to stop selling lands to individuals that they cannot ascertain their nationality, as he said this act contributed more to insecurity in the land.
Oba Adekunle said kidnapping and criminalities that have been rocking the Ibarapa area of the State was as a result of lack of vigilance by the people, as according to him, if people could keep track of new faces and suspicious movement of strangers in their domains, those perpetrating the acts would be nabbed before they commit any crime.
The monarch told journalists at his palace in Iseyin, Oyo State on Wednesday that traditional rulers in the Oke-Ogun region have resolved to keep their domains safe from criminal activities that could hinder economic growth of the region.
He maintained that the efforts of the State government, under the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to make the State an investors’ haven could only be realizable if citizens of the State assist security agencies with prompt and useful information about strange individuals and events around them.
“It is very saddening that kidnapping that armed robbery are the trending issues in the country today, what happened in the old, where our people keep vigil in their communities against invaders and criminal elements is what we should resort to now, if you see any strange thing happening within your community, call the elders who will call on the King or Baale, this will help the security agencies to have tangible information to work with.
“If you see a strange person that came from the forest to buy food for more than two people, it means they are camping there and might be doing something ominous, call on the people around and stop such person(s) for questioning and if he or she cannot give convincing explanation, call on the security agents, these are ways to foil criminal acts before they manifest.
“I will also want to appeal to my people to stop selling lands to foreigners that they cannot ascertain their nationality, recent security intelligence have shown that foreigners from Niger, Chad, Cameroon and other countries who do not even have proper documentation are buying lands from our people.
“This action portends near and future dangers, those that sell such land are giving room for people that we do not know their ancestral and moral background to spread over our communities and wreak havoc, we have to stop this act.”
Oba Ajinese enjoined the people of Oyo State to give support to the present administration in the State towards creating mass employment and financial empowerment to the people through agro-economy, expanded public infrastructural projects as well providing security of lives and properties.
