New security outfit: Surulere council boss denies excluding traditional hunters

Image caption: Hon Isaiah Adegbite

New security outfit: Surulere council boss denies excluding traditional hunters

Khalid ABRAHAM

The chairman of Surulere local government Hon Isaiah Adegbite has debunked the claim that local hunters were not considered for inclusion in the new security outfit to be put in place by the Oyo state government.

ogbomosoinsightonline.com reports that heads of traditional hunters in some local governments in Ogbomoso zone have raised alarm that their members were excluded and so pleaded with the Oyo state governor Engr Seyi Makinde and the Oyo State House of Assembly to intervene.

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Banditry: Ogbomoso traditional hunters protest exclusion from proposed security outfit

Oluode (head of hunters) Ogbomoso South local government Chief Adebayo Amos Abiade noted local hunters are best suited for the assignment if combatting insecurity in the forest is the goal.

However, in a swift reaction, the chairman of Surulere local government Hon Adegbite had debunked the narrative describing it as unfounded.

“In Surulere local government, that is not the scenario, we involved local hunters as well as other volunteer groups like Soludero, Vigilantes (state and federal) and others,” Adegbite disclosed.

“Their claim is purely untrue as far as Surulere local government is concerned, that narrative is totally wrong and it portrays us in bad light as if we are politicizing a matter so important.

“In Surulere we contacted all stakeholders to nominate people, we gave the local hunters ten slots, they submitted the names of seven but as at yesterday not all those they nominated had shown up, only four reported for screening. We had to call their leader who gave us new names, but we are still expecting those people this morning. In fact their unavailability is what is delaying the process.

“And in our local government, we ensured the nominees are spread across all parts so that all the nominees don’t come from a particular area while neglecting others, we considered the geographical spread. Let those making allegations confirm from the head of hunters in Surulere if they are not contacted. In my local government it didn’t happen that way, l may not know of other local governments though.”

Acknowledging local hunters are most suited for the task he submitted other groups however have to be considered too.

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The Oyo state government after an expanded security meeting held last December, involving traditional rulers, local government chairmen, heads of security agencies decided to form another security outfit to protect forests in the state in the face of rising wave of banditry in the southwest. Towards this each local government was mandated to come up with fifty names each suited for the task.