Oyo CP meets stakeholders as cult clashes resurface in tertiary institutions

By Suleiman Shehu

The Commissioner of Police in Oyo, CP Adebowale Williams, has met with relevant stakeholders in tertiary institutions in Oyo State over the resurfacing of cult clashes in the state.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, made this known in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Ibadan.

Osifeso said the Commissioner of Police engaged the leadership of student governing bodies and their respective Student Union bodies in an emergency stakeholders’ security forum on Wednesday at the Command in Ibadan to address issues of security on and off the campuses.

He said the meeting was borne out of the immediate urgency to review the security architecture around tertiary institutions in the wake of the menace of cult clashes and attacks on and off campuses.

Osifeso listed the identified on and off campus areas where cult clashes usually occur including Agbowo, Apete, Barika, Benjamin, Sango Eruwa, Gbaremi, Ojurin, Orogun, Ogbomoso and Oke-Ogun axis amongst others.

According to him, the Commissioner of Police emphasised the need for repeated sensitisation of the ills of cultism and other-related vices amongst students through repeated counselling.

“It was also decided that the school’s security surveillance approach would be restructured to be combative and yet consultative enough to partner various relevant sister agencies, especially the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, in checkmating related vices on and off campus, including the proliferation of drugs,” he said.

Osifeso said it was further agreed that Student Disciplinary Committees in conjunction with the School’s Senate must adopt stringent punitive measures in order to dissuade the increasing numbers of student memberships and participation.

In attendance at the security sensitisation meeting were; CP Adebowale Williams; DCP Jimoh Moshood; Dr Gbade Akinteye, Rector, Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa; Dr Wole Akinlabi, Dean of Vincent Students Affairs, Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, and Victor Fadebiyi, CSO U.I.

Others were Maj. M.K Gbadamosi; Retired Asp Waheed Ojerinde Ajao, and Student Union representatives from tertiary institutions in the state.