The people of Ifelodun local government area in Kwara State have turned to spiritual means in tackling security threats troubling their communities.
On Tuesday, residents held an interdenominational prayer seeking divine intervention against the rising wave of insecurity.
Council chairman, Hon. Femi Yusuf, disclosed this on Wednesday during a press conference marking his first year in office, held in Ilorin, the state capital.
Yusuf explained that the security situation forced him to shift the celebration away from the local government area.
“We cannot be rejoicing when our people are crying. This is the reason why we are holding this press briefing in Ilorin.
“We have resorted to seeking God’s intervention in our bid to get out of the security challenges facing our communities in Ifelodun local government. That was why we organised an interdenominational prayer yesterday (Tuesday),” he said.
He alleged that some locals were aiding criminals. “Virtually all our people have become informants to the criminals terrorising their communities,” Yusuf added.
He clarified, however, that no part of Ifelodun had been taken over by criminals, stressing that “these criminals are operating from their enclaves” and had lived in the area for about 15 years. He further revealed that some victims of the attacks were Fulani.
The council boss lauded Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his fatherly support, saying, “the governor sees himself as one of us and he’s treating us as members of his family.”
Yusuf noted that his administration had procured 20 motorcycles for local security teams, recruited and trained 100 forest guards, provided 50 bulletproof vests and modern gadgets, and enrolled them in the health insurance scheme.
He added: “We also created Ifelodun Road Traffic Marshals to prevent accidents during market days in Ganmo, Amoyo and Iyana Share market. We institutionalised a non-indigenous registration drive to have accurate data of all residents.
“While commending the traditional council for their timely support in collaborating with the state government to chase out non-state actors from our land, we have continued to carry them along in our administration.
“We have provided identity cards for all Obas and Baales in the local government, issued official number plates to first-class rulers, and commenced the same process for second, third, and fourth class rulers.
“We appreciated the prompt efforts of the Kwara State government under the leadership of His Excellency, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the office of the National Security Adviser for coming to boost the security forces.”
