The Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism in Oyo state, Dotun Oyelade, speaks with AJIBADE OMAPE on the recent attack on the state secretariat by Yoruba nation agitators.

What do you think fuelled the recent attack on the Oyo state secretariat?

I think apart from the misdirected nature of the agitation, you know, the only reason we can attribute it to is like they were hypnotised by someone who has a sweet tongue, and who probably has a little money to squander. So that is how we see it and this is our reading, and as we have said, we have since moved very swiftly. It happened on Saturday and two days later, they are being arraigned. That will tell you that this is a proactive government. We were not ready for it, we were shocked when it happened, but we needed to move fast, and we started moving right from the very first day, which was on Saturday.

What is the government’s stance on addressing the grievances of the Yoruba nation agitators while maintaining law and order?

Well, the first thing the government is looking at is the fundamentals. The fundamental is that in Nigeria of today, let us be truthful to ourselves, people are suffering due to no fault of theirs. And, you know, when you find a scenario like this, I am not saying that the government is doing its best at the federal level, because what is happening, the agitation is not against any state government, but against the general configuration of the nation. That is the reason for the agitation.

So, it has nothing to do with Oyo state, or with Osun state or Ekiti state. So, if we are able to ameliorate many of the sufferings of the people, then this kind of agitation may be nipped in the bud.

So, our government is not against anyone agitating, it is the manner of that agitation that we quarrel with. It is not possible for us as a responsible government to look the other way or to treat those who carry arms, with the intent of bloodletting. We can’t look the other way, nor can we treat them with kids’ gloves. So we have to apply the sharp edge of the law as provided for in our constitution to deal with them, and that is exactly what is playing out now. And they are sponsored. So I am saying that we will deal with them legally together with their sponsors.

You recently stated that those arrested are now 20, is there an ongoing effort to apprehend more people involved?

Well, in the first place, there is an update on the figure you gave, they are not 20, we now have 29 of them in custody, and all of them were arraigned in court on April 17th. So 29 people have been arraigned. You can rest assured that the administration will not follow the frenzy or any emotional sentiment in dealing with this issue. We will deal with it from the cold side of the law and follow exactly what the law says.

You were reported to have said that some of the agitators were arrested at a radio station while others were arrested at the statehouse. Is this emerging trend of agitation particularly concerning for the state government?

No, I wouldn’t think so. Yes, people do have preconceived grievances, rightly or wrongly, but we should not blow this out of proportion. As far as the Oyo state is concerned, this is a one-off incident that is being dealt with effectivel. They’ve been arraigned, 29 of them, and the case has been adjourned until August 1. The suspects have been remanded at the Agodi Correctional Center, here in Ibadan.

It has been confirmed that over 700 live cartridges, including seven awesome Pump Machine guns, were found in their custody, so this is a very awesome arsenal for ordinary people to gather together. Why will they bring such firepower to the secretariat which is the seat of government and the seat of our legislature?

The Commissioner of Police told me, and this should be well known to everybody that the state government is in total harmony with him that this is a classic case of treasonable felony. It is an act of terrorism, this is Yoruba land, the agitators were probably trying to make a statement by coming to the Oyo state house of assembly first, because we all know that Oyo state and Ibadan particularly is the political capital of the south-west. So that was probably their reason for coming here first off but they got it all wrong. We Yorubas don’t fight, especially in a climate we know we can hardly win. So whoever is pushing the agitators has pushed them to the crime of treasonable felony. It is also an act of terrorism. We are not saying the people should not agitate but it must be in a lawful manner.

You said that the government is not going to build a wall around the Secretariat, how then can the security personnel check those coming into the Secretariat to prevent a recurrence of this incident?

Well, I do not think that will be necessary. However, the security architecture surrounding government facilities will have to be on alert more than ever before, I think they are handling it very well and politely. Don’t forget that in Oyo State here, we have a Commissioner of Police, who has been very effective and cooperating with the government. We equally have aids to the governor, who are core professionals, we have two retired Commissioners of Police, you know, and they are anchoring this incident, and if you get to the secretariat, I’m in my office now, at the Secretariat, talking to you, and there has been free movement of traffic, and human traffic, all over the place. So, we are not planning, as I said earlier, to build a brick wall just because of an aberrative incident. So if you expect the governor to build a concrete wall around the secretariat of the governor’s office, that will not happen because we are in a democratic dispensation and the people should have unhindered access to the governor’s office, the legislature and the house of assembly as it is their property. The people in those offices were elected by the people. The important thing here is that a certain set of people have engaged in a failed enterprise, this is because agitations should not be by armed conflicts.

Was there any damage to the secretariat property as a result of the attack by the agitators?

Well, the damage is not the issue, but however, there is no substantial damage to the property. But the most salient issue we should address is the symbolism of the act, because when people have the effort to come to the seat of power, the secretariat where the governor is, and to the state house of assembly which is the seat of our legislature, without any major backup of any sort, and any legality, then we should be aware that something is wrong. Whoever encourages them to engage in an act of that nature has just made them commit a crime of treasonable felony and an act of terrorism. The implications are very clear, and the government must do what they have to do.

Apart from this agitation, are there other security threats facing the state, and how would you describe the overall security situation of Oyo State?

I will just borrow from the documented remarks of two security chiefs in Nigeria. One of them is the garrison commander of the Nigerian Army at two divisions here in Ibadan, who said two months ago, that Oyo State is the safest state in Nigeria as of today. He was quoted, we speak all the time, we spoke two days ago.

The second person I’m going to quote is the gentleman who said the same thing. He is Commissioner of Police, Bola Hamzat, who is the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State. He said more or less the same thing, noting that Oyo State is the safest state in the country and that the government is giving them all they need. So, Oyo State is the safest state in Nigeria, and we plan for it to be that way for a long time.

What is your assessment of the collaboration between security agencies and Oyo communities in combating crime and maintaining peace?

Yes, there is good collaboration. The kind of amity, unity, and symbiotic relationship that we have between the Amotekun Corps, Operation Burst, and the Nigerian police is unsurpassed anywhere, and it is because they are sufficiently motivated to do their job.