The Ekiti State House of Assembly has invited all heads of security agencies in the state to brief the lawmakers on some security breaches recently witnessed in some parts of the state.
The security chiefs are expected to appear before a Joint Committee of the House on Monday, 11th September at 10am with a view to address the incidences of kidnapping which led to the death of a resident and abduction of five others.
The invitation of the heads of security agencies was one of the three Resolutions passed by the Assembly at its plenary on Thursday after the lawmakers expressed concern on the security situation of the state under Matters of Urgent Public Importance.
The House at the plenary presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, also invited the management of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti to appear before the Committee on Education to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the murder of a 200 Level Nursing student, Modupe Atanda.
The State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was also summoned to appear before the House for an interactive session on the alleged brutality and dehumanization meter out by some officers of the Corps on civilians recently.
The Assembly Minority Leader and member representing Ekiti East Constituency 1, Hon. Oladele Ogunsakin, who deplored the alleged brutality of some officers of security agencies also expressed dismay that some federal roads in the state have become death traps and aiding criminal activities.
The lawmaker representing Ise/Orun Constituency, Hon. Babatunde Omotayo, expressed sadness that four members of Itapaji Ekiti community were recently kidnapped after a kidnaping incident occurred in the town a week earlier leasing to the death of one person.
He said the Assembly must do something urgently on the security situation of the state stressing that there was need to summon the state Commissioner or Police and heads of sister security agencies to hear from them what they are doing to remedy the situation and save law-abiding people.
He suggested the establishment of a homegrown security outfit in which officers will be posted to their local government areas of origin while a reliable database should be created for that purpose.
The lawmaker representing Oye Constituency 1, Hon. Temitope Longe, drew the attention of the Assembly to the killing of FUOYE Nursing student, Miss Atanda, who had been missing on the campus since Monday only for her corpse to be found in a shallow grave with her eyes gouged out.
Hon. Longe explained that kidnapping, banditry and cultism had reduced to the barest minimum since the ascension to office of Governor Biodun Oyebanji saying everything possible should be done to nip criminality in the bud in the state.
He suggested that the Ekiti Commissioner of Police, Director of Department of State Services, FUOYE Vice Chancellor and Chief Security Officer should be invited on what the authorities of the university are doing to unmask the killers of the female student and prevent a reoccurrence.
The lawmaker representing Ijero Constituency, Hon. Ademola Ojo, argued that security agencies must be alive to their responsibilities in the state more than ever before recalling his experience as a survivor of the collapse of an Event Centre in his constituency last Saturday.
The lawmaker representing Oye Constituency 2, Hon. Idowu Odebunmi, said the FUOYE incident should be used as a signal to curb similar future occurrences urging the House to extend invitations to Vice Chancellors of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti; Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere Ekiti and the Rector of Ekiti State Polytechnic, Isan Ekiti to know the security situations on their campuses.
He advocated the installation of Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras on the internal roads at FUOYE and the conduct of an autopsy on the remains of the slain student to shed more light on the circumstances surrounding her gruesome killing.
The lawmaker representing Ikere Constituency 1, Hon. Babatunde Oke, deplored the alleged of NSCDC operatives in some parts of the state informing his colleagues that officers of the agency attacked a lady in his constituency and stripped her naked with the video of the incident trending on various social media platforms.
He stressed that it was high time the alleged excesses of the NSCDC officer were curbed to prevent reoccurrence of ENDSARS protest while advising security officers to be more civil in effecting arrests.
Before putting resolutions on the issues to vote, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Aribasoye, said the issues for debate on security matters called for sober reflection urging the executive arm to rise to the occasion on security of lives and property.
The Speaker noted that Section 14 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) provides that government should protect the lives and property of its citizens.
He put the resolutions to voice vote which was passed after the lawmakers expressed their support for the resolutions.
Also at the plenary, the lawmaker representing Emure Constituency, Hon. Maryam Ogunlade, moved a motion on the need to provide breastfeeding facilities in public places for working parents in Ekiti State. The motion was seconded by the lawmaker representing Efon Constituency, Hon. Bosede Olowookere.
Hon. Ogunlade in her lead debate noted that the motion explores the importance of enabling breastfeeding for all working parents and highlights strategies to create a supportive environment for same in workplaces.
The another motion moved at the plenary was the one calling for the need to engage in Palm Cultivation to generate employment and boost revenue in Ekiti State. It was moved by the lawmaker representing Moba Constituency 2, Hon. Jacob Awoniyi and seconded by his counterpart from Ekiti South West Constituency 1, Hon. Anthony Adaramodu
Earlier at the sitting, two Bills passed the First Reading after being read for the first time by the Clerk of the House, Mr. Tola Esan.
The first was a Bill for Law to repeal Ekiti State Environmental Protection Agency Law 2009 and to re-enact the Ekiti State Environmental Protection and Watershed Management Agency Law 2023 and other matters connected therewith.
The second was Ekiti State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (Amendment) Bill 2023.
The House adjourned sine die (to an indefinite date) after exhausting all the items for the day’s business on the Order Paper.