The Guardian (Nigeria)

Report life- threatenin­g activities, Oyo tells residents

• Says it demolished agitators' building after obtaining court order • DHQ describes agitation for Yoruba nation laughable, insecurity self- inflicted

- From Odita Sunday ( Abuja) and Rotimi Agboluaje ( Ibadan)

OYO State Government, yesterday, charged residents of the state to report any illegal, life- threatenin­g and nefarious activities going on in their environmen­t, saying the government is out to maintain security.

The state's Commission­er for Lands, Housing, Survey and Urban Developmen­t, William Akin- Funmilayo, stated this while speaking with journalist­s at the site of the demolished building allegedly belonging to Yoruba Nation agitators.

It would be recalled that the Oyo State had on Tuesday, demolished a building located at Toye Oyesola Street, Sagari, Boluwaji area of Ibadan, which it claimed, belonged to Yoruba nation agitators that invaded the

Oyo State Government Secretaria­t on Saturday.

The commission­er, who conducted journalist­s around the building, said that the government pulled it down after obtaining a court order. He said: "The demolition was carried out two days ago. We obtained a court order on April 16, 2024, to demolish the building, having got informatio­n that the Yoruba nation agitators used the place. This building belongs to them. It houses dangerous weapons.” M EANWHILE, the Defence Headquarte­rs ( DHQ) has said that the recent agitation for the Yoruba Nation is laughable.

It also raised the alarm that terrorists and their sympathise­rs were planning to blackmail the military following its onslaught on the insurgents.

Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.- Gen. Edward Buba, who spoke during a media briefing, yesterday, in Abuja, said the agitation had further showed how the insecurity ravaging many parts of the country is selfinflic­ted.

He said: “The agitation of the Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB) in the South- East has proven to be for self- aggrandise­ment. Then, the call for a Yoruba Nation is laughable. All these buttresses how our security situation is selfinflic­ted in the country.”

He said that bearing firearms against a constitute­d government is a serious offence, warning that anyone who does that would be severely dealt with.

Buba, who said that the military had been working decisively to kill the terrorists, dismantle their networks and create conditions whereby they cannot carry out acts of terror or harm citizens, however, urged the media to be wary of the antics of terrorist groups and their sympathise­rs, as the military operations have prevented these ‘ evil elements’ from accomplish­ing their strategic objectives. He said the troops had neutralise­d 192 terrorists and arrested 341 persons while rescuing 62 kidnapped hostages in the last week.

 ?? ?? Ola Sobande ( left), Niyi Jolaoso, Jacob Akindele and Dr Kehinde Adamson, during the plenary session of Ogun State Elders’ Consultati­ve Forum in Abeokuta… yesterday.
Ola Sobande ( left), Niyi Jolaoso, Jacob Akindele and Dr Kehinde Adamson, during the plenary session of Ogun State Elders’ Consultati­ve Forum in Abeokuta… yesterday.

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