The governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Hon. Bimbo Adekambi, has pledged to adopt a holistic and community-based approach to tackling insecurity, particularly in the Oke-Ogun axis of the state.
He said this when he appeared on the Good Morning Show of Arise TV, where he outlined his plans to strengthen security through greater involvement of local communities.
He said his administration, if he is elected governor, would localise security efforts by engaging residents of communities affected by insecurity and integrating them into the overall security architecture.
According to him, the Oyo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun, would be strengthened to enhance its effectiveness, while competent residents of affected communities would be recruited to complement the conventional security agencies.
Adekambi also pledged to collaborate with other recognised local security organisations to improve the protection of lives and property across the state.
He said effective security would require more than the deployment of conventional security personnel, stressing the need for the government to understand the people, movements and activities within communities.
The APM candidate expressed concern that many people living in some of the affected communities were not properly accounted for because of inadequate data.
He said his administration would, if elected, establish a system for proper identification and data collection on residents and their daily activities to facilitate effective monitoring and strengthen security intelligence.
Adekambi further promised to involve traditional rulers, religious leaders and other relevant stakeholders in securing communities.
He said the collaboration would create a broader community-based security framework capable of responding to the peculiar security challenges confronting different parts of Oyo State.
The Oke-Ogun axis has in recent years featured prominently in discussions over insecurity in the state, with concerns about the safety of residents, farmers and other economic actors in the area.
Adekambi said his proposed approach would combine stronger security institutions, community participation, reliable data and collaboration with traditional and religious institutions to address the problem.