The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, yesterday gave a marching order to security operatives in the state to ensure the re-arrest of Sunday Shodipe, the notorious suspect alleged to be involved in the series of murders in Akinyele, who escaped from police custody in Ibadan last Saturday.
The governor, who was represented by the Special Adviser on Security, former Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni (rtd), at a Town Hall meeting held at Akinyele Local Government Area, said the re-arrest of the alleged mastermind of at least six ritual killings in Ibadan must be made a top priority for security operatives.
A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that Governor Makinde reiterated that his administration places a premium on security of lives and property in the state, urging the residents of the area to remain calm and not take laws into their hands.
The governor, who maintained that he shared the pains of the people of Akinyele over the incessant killings in the area, said the people must continue to cooperate with the law enforcement officials to lawfully bring about an end to the menace in the area.
He said: “All of us have followed the incidents in Akinyele; the arrest of the principal suspect in the case, and of course, his escape from custody after being arraigned in court.
“We are here today in this Town Hall meeting and Governor Makinde has directed that we should let the people in the community know that as the governor, he shares their pain; and as people of Oyo State, we share in the pain, as what has happened is condemnable and unacceptable.
“Be that as it may, the governor also wants us to dialogue with the people, with a view to ensuring that as much as security challenges can affect economic development, so also are barbaric actions like taking laws one’s hands.
“Yes, the people have the right, having suffered such pains, to come out to protest. But when we do our protest, we should do it in a way that it would not continue to destroy people’s property. Because the properties of people we are destroying could also be members of our family. Everyone knows that what has happened is bad but for every 12 disciples of Jesus Christ, you see a Judas Iscariot.”
The governor added that the police would need the cooperation of the people to be able to succeed in putting an end to the incessant killings and other crimes in the community, saying: “The last one was preventable if that suspect had not escaped.”
