The Conference of Speakers of Southwest legislatures on Saturday renewed calls for calls state policing and regional security summit that will offer practical ways out of current insecurity in the zone.
The Speakers and Majority Leaders of the South-West state assemblies also called on governors of the zone to jointly procure at least three security helicopters and drones for aerial surveillance of the region.
These formed part of the resolutions reached by the principal officers of the Houses of Assembly in the region during a meeting at Golden Tulip Hotel, Jericho, Ibadan.
The meeting was chaired by the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of Southwest States Legislatures, Bamidele Oleyelogun, who is also the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly.
Oleyelogun called on the Federal Government to take concrete positions by conveying a national security summit.
A communiqué presented at the end of the meeting by the Conference chairman reads in part: “The forum noted further and advocated as follow: that the Governors of the Southwest States should come together to procure drones and at least three helicopters for the aerial surveillance of the entire region.
“To adequately empower the forest rangers in the States to embark on aggressive patrol of the forest areas. This step will no doubt change the security architecture of the South West States;
“The laws establishing the Western Nigeria Security Network (Amotekun Corps) as passed by the Houses of Assembly should be strengthened to give room for the recruitment of able-bodied unemployed youths, as this will help in surveillance, information and intelligence gathering;
“Noted that there should be Southwest security summit to be organised by the Executive and the Legislature where resolutions will be passed;
“Noted that though, the present Nigeria Police are doing their best in securing the nation but the Conference insists on the establishment of State Police to complement the efforts of the Security Agencies.”
