Security stakeholders in Oyo State have admonished those planning to participate in the protest starting on August 1 to ensure that the demonstrations are peaceful and orderly, as the state will not condone lawlessness.
The stakeholders made the call on Thursday, during a security stakeholders’ meeting held at the House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, Secretariat, Ibadan.
Addressing the meeting, the Special Adviser on Security to Oyo State Governor, CP Fatai Owoseni (rtd), said the meeting was convened to prepare for the planned protest and also engage different interest groups.
He noted that though the Oyo State Government will not prevent anyone from protesting, as it is their fundamental human rights under the law, it will not condone violence and disorderliness during the protest.
He charged residents of the state to express their rights peacefully without vandalizing properties, stealing, burglary or involving in any form of criminal offence that may disrupt the peaceful atmosphere in the state.
He said: “This is an ongoing interaction and it is just the culmination of deliberation by security heads under the guidance of the governor. Everyone is aware of the way #EndSARS ended and of course, at every point in time, we look at what we did well before and the gaps.
That formed the basis of this interaction we had today.
“We have identified certain gaps, especially the need to be more proactive. And His Excellency, having given the go-ahead that we should carry that out, we feel we should come and share this with our people in Oyo State, including the leadership of the various markets, traders, transport union workers, chairpersons of the local government areas and the Mogajis.
“It’s an array of the different interest groups in the state that we put together here. The essence basically is to look at those things that we need to do to get ourselves prepared for the planned protest that some people are putting up.
“We have recognised that in Oyo State, we don’t always want our business activities hindered. We always want a situation where our people will go about their lawful activities freely.
“We have not come here to say people should not exercise their fundamental right but, as a people, even though you have a right, there should be limitations. Your right of protesting legally should not hinder other people, who also have their rights to go about their lawful endeavours.
“So, we have come to prepare the mind of our people to the fact that they need to help us talk to their wards at home that no one is stopping anyone from protesting but they should not trample on the rights of the people of the state.
“We found out that people have always taken advantage of protests to loot and steal. We have put heads together to talk to our market women and the leadership said they have put up task forces in their different markets. So, for them to have interfaced with the security, who already have a robust plan in place, is a welcome development. And this is going to be an ongoing engagement.
“They have started and that is ongoing. The different heads of security agencies; the Police, DSS and Amotekun have been engaging the youth groups and student unions as well but that engagement is not tailored towards stopping anybody from exercising his or her rights to peaceful assemblage. They will still continue to do that to make sure that we have the buy-in of the people.
“What is the essence of protest where, at the end of the day, you will be counting casualties to say some people are dead? We are saying the country is hard and we are still going to cause more hardship to the extent of killing people. You recall during the #EndSARS that we had a situation where police personnel were killed. So, we are trying to have a situation in which everybody is able to do what he or she wants to do peacefully.”
Owoseni added that the state government has equipped all the security agencies with necessary gadgets needed to make the state peaceful and free of rancour, charging everyone to always be security-conscious and to call the control room number 615 to report any suspicious act.
Earlier in his address, the chairman, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo State chapter, Honourable Sikiru Sanda, implored the security stakeholders to cooperate with the government to prevent violence and breakdown of law and order.
He equally tasked all the local government chairmen to intensify efforts to ensure the maintenance of peace and order within their respective council areas.
Also speaking, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Sonubi Ayodele, represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Akin Adejobi, assured protesters of maximum security insofar as the protest is peaceful.
He called on various groups to be mindful of hoodlums who may try to hijack the protest.
Similarly, the Oyo State Director of the Department of State Security, Mr Tajudeen Adeogun (fsi), advised youths, especially students, not to allow anyone to use them for unlawful protests.
In their separate messages, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Security, CP Sunday Odukoya (rtd); Commandant, Oyo State Security Network Agency also known as Amotekun, Col. Olayinka Olayanju (rtd) and the Babaloja-General of Oyo State, Alhaji Y.K. Abass, appealed to protesters to do things in the interest of Oyo State.
The meeting also had in attendance all heads of security outfits and representatives of service commanders in the state.