The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has assured the new
Commissioner of Police, Mr. Babatunde Mobayo, of support to succeed in
reducing crime to the barest minimum and improving security of lives
and property.
Fayemi who spoke on Monday while receiving the new police boss who was
on a courtesy visit said his administration will always work in
synergy with the state command not to give any breathing space to
criminals within the state boundaries.
The Governor who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi
Egbeyemi, urged members of the public to always volunteer information
on criminals and their activities to the police which will be
distilled to nip crime in the bud and make the people sleep with their
two eyes closed.
While expressing confidence in the ability of the CP to live up to
expectation on his new assignment, Fayemi said the immediate past
police boss, AIG Amba Asuquo, had spoken flowing about his successor
as a professional capable and competent for the job.
The Governor hailed Asuquo for working hard during his tenure by
battling criminal activities like robbery and kidnapping to a
standstill urging Mobayo to build on the gains and achievements
recorded by his predecessor.
Describing Ekiti residents as people who know their rights, Fayemi
advised the CP to operate an open door policy by carrying the people
along in the task of policing most especially in the area of
intelligence gathering.
The Governor who stressed that security of lives and property and
crime prevention are joint efforts to be performed by the government,
the police and the people stressed that Ekiti land always favour those
who work for its peace, progress and prosperity.
Speaking earlier, CP Mobayo explained that the courtesy visit was
mainly to familiarise himself with the Governor and other state
officials and to seek their support to succeed in the task which
brought him to the Land of Hour.
The state number one cop promised to work with other officers of his
command to try as much as possible to improve the security
architecture of the state which he said cannot be possible without the
cooperation of all stakeholders.
While noting that the rate of crime in Ekiti State is relatively low
when compared with other states of the federation, Mobayo vowed to
take the fight to criminals in their hideouts to make the state safe
to live in and for investment.
Mobayo disclosed that the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed
Adamu, has tasked all CPs across the country to adopt community
policing as a crime fighting strategy in the grassroots where
criminals can be easily tracked and their activities thwarted.
He expressed confidence that with the support of Ekiti residents,
criminals will be chased away as the command is better positioned to
work with the people to ensure a safe and crime-free state.
The Ekiti police chief also solicited the support of the media which
he described as the “eyes and the ears of the people” to collaborate
with the command to expose criminal activities and also give publicity
to police activities.