Ondo Killings: Fmr. Dep. Gov Urges Self-defence, Says  Gov Incompetent

By Ayodele Oni

Former Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi, has said the unending insecurity in the state underscores the ill-preparedness and incompetence of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

Ajayi, who was candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in 2024 Governorship Election, also accused Aiyedatiwa of displaying lethargic approach to insecurity in the State.

Reacting, in a statement on Wednesday to protest at the governor’s office in Akure over killing of five persons by suspected herdsmen, the former deputy governor advised Aiyedatiwa to

“take full grip of this crisis and seek help that will take Ondo State back from the grip of invading bandits forthwith.

“For the past few weeks,  Ondo State has been in the news for the very wrong reasons, the people are troubled about an emerging culture of kidnapping, banditry and killings, as at the last count, about a hundred people have been killed by criminals who invaded our State from elsewhere.

“Today, the people of Akure felt that they have had enough of this ugly development, they invaded the premises of the Government office  to express their indgnition and  frustration over this ridiculous development for which the APC government of Mr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa has no answer.

“Let me underscore the fact that the security challenge confronting Ondo State is not an entirely new development, but Governments before the present had adeptly managed this odious crisis and disallowed it to fester to the level it is today.

“While I was deputy Governor of Ondo State between 2017-2021, working dutifully alongside my late boss, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, we developed a robust plan, and implemented actions that put banditry and criminality in check.

“We stopped outrightly open grazing of cattles by herdsmen and sanity ruled.

Unfortunately the gains of that era has been allowed to slip away and the people are now in pains!

“While I condemn the sloppiness and lethargy with which Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa is conducting the affairs of our State, it completely underscores his ill-preparedness and incompetence to be in the saddle.

“I wish to call attention to my campaign manifestoe where I canvassed for new thinking in solving security challenges and urged absolute proactive measures to solving them, I equally laid emphassis on the lethargic approach of Mr Aiyedatiwa during the Governorship debate.

“The need to take full grip of this crisis cannot be  delayed a day longer, I therefore call on the Governor to seek help and take actions that will take Ondo State back from the grip of invading bandits forthwith.

“The Government must as a matter of fact revamp Amotekun immediately and ensure the re-creation of Armed Forest Guards that will police our forests and uproot all invading criminal elements so that peace can reign in our State.

“Due fact is accorded the fact that Mr Governor takes over a billion naira as security vote, it is time to make the administration of this fund bear results in the interest of the State, we the people do not deserve anything less.

“In conclusion, I encourage our people to begin to organise to defend themselves from undue assaults by bandits while we hope that Gov Aiyedatiwa will get his acts together soon.”