Ogun monarch calls for state police, stronger local security structures

The Odemo of Isara Remo in Remo North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Peter Ogunbayo, has called for the speedy passage of the state police bill currently before the National Assembly, saying it is becoming obvious that the country can no longer rely solely on the conventional police to address insecurity challenges.

Oba Ogunbayo also identified the need for communities in the South-West to organise strong local security involving vigilantes, the Oodua Peoples Congress, hunters, and the Agbekoya to confront the growing insecurity in the country.

The monarch made the call on Saturday while speaking during the inauguration of the planning committee for this year’s Afotamodi Day.

He said the major problem confronting the country is insecurity, adding that traditional rulers, as representatives of government at the grassroots, must coordinate security efforts within their domains to strengthen local security architecture.

“The Army cannot come to the local village to gather intelligence. They need grassroots support, local outfits such as OPC, hunters, vigilantes, and Agbekoya to provide intelligence reports.

“We need to recognise the hunters, OPC, the Agbekoya, and the vigilantes. Those four outfits are working seriously in terms of securing our communities.

“When I emerged as Odemo of Isara Remo, insecurity was also a major issue, but I constituted the Isara Security Task Force comprising hunters, vigilantes, OPC, and Agbekoya with the support of Baales, chiefs, and other stakeholders, and today we are enjoying a very robust security environment in Isara.

“On the issue of state police, I think the bill has gone past the second reading in the National Assembly. That is the best way to tackle insecurity because there is no way we can solely rely on the conventional police without community policing. We need the synergy of both to fight this challenge,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the newly inaugurated Chairman of the 2026 Afotamodi Day Planning Committee, Mr Eric Sonupe, unveiled plans to raise N500 million to fund the reconstruction of the Odemo’s palace and drive other socio-economic development in the ancient town.

Sonupe said, “One of the things we want to do as part of this festival is to renovate the palace ahead of the celebration.

“Ultimately, this is about redesigning and reconstructing the palace into an ultra-modern edifice that will house the king and provide offices that will allow him to perform his traditional duties with ease, which is what befits this town in this time and age.

“At this stage, let me announce that we have a financial target of raising N500 million ahead of our planned activities for this festival. This money is our budget to execute our plans, which I know we will raise, with God on our side.”

He called on all sons and daughters of the community to contribute generously towards achieving the developmental goals outlined for the festival scheduled for November.

Sonupe stressed that the Afotamodi Festival is more than a cultural celebration, describing it as a collective effort to preserve the town’s heritage while promoting its future development.