Kidnapping: Lagos to provide security for traditional rulers

L-R: Special Adviser to the Governor on Community and Communication, Kehinde Bamigbetan; the Oniba of Iba land, Oba Goriola Oseni and the Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Muslim Folami during the visit to the palace on Monday.

Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Lagos State Government says it has concluded arrangement to provide security for traditional rulers and their palaces in the state.

This followed the kidnap of the Oniba of Iba land, Oba Goriola Oseni by kidnappers last month. The monarch was however released after a ransom of N15.1 million was paid to the abductors.

Speaking when he paid a visit on the oba on Monday, Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Muslim Folami said the state government would now extend security to the palaces across the state.

He stated that government did not want a repeat of what happened to the Iba monarch as the security of its traditional rulers was key.

The commissioner added that government had provided lots of equipment for the police for effective performance and that the police were on top of their business to police and secure the state.

Thanking God that the monarch was released unhurt; the commissioner said government was very much concerned all through the period the monarch was kidnapped and was working with the police to ensure his timely release.

He said government was doing much to open up the rural areas by embarking on the construction of 114 rural roads across the councils in the state.

Speaking, the Oniba of Iba land, Oseni appealed to the government to provide security at the grassroots, saying that the police post in the community for long had not been upgraded.

He said he had never seen such sophisticated weapons used by the kidnappers in abducting him with any police officer.

The monarch lamented that many of the kidnappers were boys of 18 and 19 years apart from the few adult among them.

According to him, when he advised them that they ought to be in school rather than engage in such act, they told him that they did not have such money for school and that what they were interested in was how to make money through bunkering and kidnapping.

Oseni said he believed that there was an informant among the kidnappers, which was why they succeeded in the operation.

He also said he could identify any of the kidnappers whenever he saw them, adding that the two that were arrested were part of the kidnapping business.