By Fatai Ahmed
Kwara State police command has advised the traditional worshippers in the state to relocate their planned celebration of Isèsé festival to another state. The police took the decisive step to forestall breakdown of law and order which the festival may attract.
There has been a heavy tension across the state,especially the capital, Ilorin, following the plan of the traditional worshippers to celebrate their festival, tagged Isese which is strongly opposed by the Islamic faithfuls across the Emirate that make up Ilorin.
To forestall breakdown of law and order which the Isese celebration may cause and other crimes and criminality threats, the police also launched a security strategy tagged: “Harmony Security Week”. This special operation will put the state under 24 -hour strict security surveillance.
The police, under the command of Ebunoluwarotimi Adelesi, the no-nonsense female commissioner, popularly called “Iron Lady ” announced the new security measures to the public on Monday.
In a statement signed by the spokesman of the Command, SP Ajayi Okasanmi, the police said, “In continuation of the Kwara State Police Command’s onerous effort to ensure a safe and secure State for the good people of Kwara, the Commissioner of Police Kwara State Command, CP. Ebunoluwarotimi Adelesi psc+, FISN held a meeting with Service Commanders, comprising heads of all security agencies in the state, where the security situation of the state was discussed and existing strategies dissected, where every t was crossed and all the ‘i’ was dotted.”
“New security plans have been implemented across the length and breadth of Kwara State.One of the strategies to put crime and criminality at bay in the state is ‘Harmony Security Week. This operation will include aggressive stop and search, motorized, and foot patrols on a 24-hour basis.”
“To this end, the CP is using this medium to put the good people of Kwara State on notice of the special security operation and advise the people not to panic or be apprehensive when confronted with the police men on the assignment but to comport themselves and submit themselves for body and vehicular searches whenever they are asked to do so. The officers deployed for the assignment have been trained and warned to respect the rights of the citizens in the process of carrying out their duties.”
“The Command warns would-be lawbreakers in whatever guise and nomenclature to steer clear of Kwara State, as anyone found in any manner constituting himself or herself a security threat would be arrested and prosecuted.
Vigilante, local hunters, community policing members, and the leadership of the traditional worshippers in Kwara, along with some of their leaders from adjoining states, have also been dialogued with and made to understand that the intelligence available to the Police Command does not favor the kind of celebrations being planned by one of the religious sects in the state; they have been advised to relocate their celebration to another state pending a favorable security situation in the state.”
