By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
A group of professionals, under the aegis of Ondo State Association of Media Practitioners, Abuja, OSMEPA, has thumbed up the Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu over his unrelenting efforts at putting an end to the various security challenges in the country.
The group has thus thrown its full weight behind the governor who has been at the forefront of battles against the rising insecurity in the state, particularly for his fearless disposition towards the killer herdsmen in Ondo State
The association said these while addressing a press conference in Abuja yesterday as parts of its general meeting’s agenda,
Speaking through its Acting Spokesman, Oba Olasunkanmi John on the theme: “Taming Insecurity and The Burden on Arakunrin Akeredolu”, OSMEPA highlighted various efforts of the governor both at the state and national level as well as the vigour with which he has risen to the challenges.
According to OSMEPA,“It is a truism that the ultimate goal that drives development in any society is security and no nation can develop in an atmosphere of rancour and instability.
“Ondo state, as one of the component states in the country, has had its own fair share of the rising cases of insecurity in Nigeria.
“Ondo State has had it worse among the states in the South-Western part of Nigeria as insecurity continues unabated”, it said
While decrying the level of criminal invasion of Ondo state by bandits and notorious herdsmen, the media practitioners highlighted various actions so far taken by Governor Akeredolu to nip kidnappings and wanton killings of innocent citizens in the bud.
They said, “Our state has suffered various degrees of violence in the hands of criminal elements and marauders in the recent time.
“We recall the kidnap and killings of notable citizens in our state by unidentified bandits; prominent among such was the kidnapped of one of our prominent leaders, Chief Olu Falae.
“We consider kidnap and the killing of some traditional rulers in our state as strange in Yoruba land.
“The killing of the daughter of one of the Yoruba leaders, Late Mrs Funke Olakunrin are among evils too many, perpetrated against our state by killer herdsmen.
“The robbery of innocent travellers who are crisscrossing Ondo state continues unabated due to the strategic location of Ondo state”, the association bemoaned.
