Following reports alleging that armed bandits had entered Osun State and abducted students from a school in the area, Governor Ademola Adeleke has urged residents to disregard the claims, describing them as false alarms allegedly spread by opposition elements.
According to Adeleke, his administration had conducted comprehensive security checks across border communities and other strategic locations in the state, all of which confirmed that no such abduction had taken place.
He added that relevant security agencies and the Ministry of Education had intensified surveillance in schools as part of a coordinated strategy to prevent any breach, while assuring that proactive measures were already in place to safeguard pupils, teachers, and educational facilities across the state.
The governor, in a statement issued on Tuesday in Osogbo, stressed that the alarm was politically motivated and aimed at creating unnecessary panic among citizens.
“I task our people to go about their normal activities without fear. Our government has taken steps to secure our schools. The Ministry of Education and the relevant security agencies have worked out a security strategy that is being implemented,” Adeleke said.
The governor also revealed that armoured vehicles abandoned by the previous administration had been refurbished and were ready for deployment.
“The Oyetola administration inherited the APCs from the Aregbesola administration. The last administration however left them to rot. My government has rehabilitated them and the public will soon witness a new security plan,” he noted.
Adeleke warned against incitement by opposition figures, stressing that local intelligence networks were monitoring border towns and identified hotspots.
“No stone will be left unturned to guarantee the security of our schools, our pupils, residents, citizens and properties,” he added.