The Joint Security Committee (JSC) of Ikere, Emure, and Ise/Orun Councils in Ekiti State has called for the establishment of a military checkpoint and police post along two inter-state roads notorious for kidnapping activities in the area.
The JSC Chairman, Elder Tunji Falana, lamented that kidnappers have been accessing Ekiti State and the area through the two roads linking Ekiti and Ondo States, Emure Ekiti – Eporo Road and Emure Ekiti – Supare Akoko Road, and perpetrating kidnappings for ransom, killings and other crimes.
Falana, in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, appealed to Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, to come to the aid of the area and innocent travelers on the roads by facilitating the presence of security agents on the roads.
He said, “We have made our position, which can checkmate the kidnappings and criminal activities, known. We are requesting a military checkpoint along Emure – Eporo Road and a police post along Emure Ekiti – Supare Akoko Road.
“These are two roads linking Ekiti State to Ondo State in this axis, and they have been identified as the routes that kidnappers use to access this area. We want to appeal to Governor Oyebanji to treat our request with urgency for the safety of lives and property.
“We should not wait for another kidnapping incident. Our people – those kidnapped and later released after ransom, those left to mourn the dead victims, and others – cannot forget in a hurry the kidnapping of school pupils and the recent incidents along Emure – Eporo Road,” he said.
Falana also called on well-meaning sons and daughters of the three local government areas to support the JSC in enhancing the security of lives and property in their country homes.
He said, “We want to thank the House of Representatives member representing this area at the National Assembly, Hon. (AVM) Niyi Ojuawo (retd.), for prompt responses to matters involving security in this area.
“We call on other well-meaning people of Ise, Orun, Emure and Ikere Ekiti communities to rise to the occasion.
The activities of the JSC have, no doubt, contributed to stemming the tide of kidnapping and other crimes, including illegal activities in the expansive forest. But we need support to sustain the JSC operations, which involve operatives of all security agencies and paramilitary organizations in the area,” the JSC Chairman said.
Group laments incessant kidnapping in Emure, seeks Governor Oyebanji’s intervention