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Communique of the Convention of Olamaboro Progressive Initiative (OPI) held at the Health and Medical Workers’ Hall of the Olamaboro Local Government Secretariat on March 26, 2016 with the Theme: “Charging the Course”.
Objective
The objective of the convention was to discuss the developmental and socio-economic challenges facing the community and its people. At a broader and more urgent level, the objective of the convention was to discuss and proffer remedial solutions to the lingering security challenges in the community including but not limited to cultism, burglary, kidnapping, arson, thuggery, armed rubbery/banditry and narcotism.
Participants
The convention was attended by the members of the organisation, members of the board of trustees of the organisation, representatives of the State Security Service, the Nigerian Police Force and the National Securities and Civil Defense Corps; community leaders and select members of the community.
Highlights of discussion including excerpts from the coordinator’s address.
From the keynote address presented by the coordinator of the Olamaboro Progressive Initiative; and contributions by the community leaders and other speakers, it was a well documented fact that:
Our community is faced with socio-economic and developmental challenges that cannot be solved by governments alone;
Our community is also faced with criminal activities like cultism, armed rubbery/banditry, kidnapping, narcotism, illicit drug sale, Burglary, arson and gang violence;
Criminal activities and their worsening dimensions are the result of poor leadership and lost of value orientation;
Our community has now become safe heavens for kidnappers, cultists, narcotic abusers, drug dealers, armed rubbers/bandits, arsonists and gangsters. These are criminals whose activities have been decimated by their local governments of origin;
Our community is no longer attractive to new investors while the existing businesses are being killed. Business owners are closing shops and moving out in droves;
The security forces were fingered as part of the problem of the lingering security challenges due to their complacency and prosecutorial lapses;
Representatives of the security agencies blamed their lapses on some “powerful” members of the community who always come to the rescue of criminals in their custody thereby depriving them of effective investigation and prosecution;
The people of Olamaboro are peace loving and the issue of criminality is not part of their value orientation but a new low that must be condemned and fought at all fronts;
In order to talk of development, the security challenges must first be addressed as there can be no meaningful development in the face of insecurity.
Outcome/Recommendation
After a critical appraisal of the socio-economic and security challenges faced by our community, it was unanimous agreement of participants to put an end to criminal activities. To achieve this, the following steps were recommended:
Parents and guardians were urged to call their children and wards to order and caution them against cultism, illicit drug, rubbery, burglary, armed banditry and thuggery etc., as criminal activities can no longer be taken likely, neither will there be any sacred cows in the fight against criminality;
The security agencies should ensure that anyone caught in criminal activities is investigated and prosecuted with full weight of the laws;
Members of the community were urged to report any suspected or perceived incidence of criminal activities to the security agencies in a timely fashion;
Members of the community can also arrest any criminal and hand him/her to security agencies;
Securities agencies agreed to treat the identities of whistleblowers with strict confidentiality and anonymity;
Effort will be made by the security agencies to provide dedicated phone numbers where members of the community can report suspected criminal activities;
The security agents advised members of the community who reported a case to follow up until conclusion as failure to follow up reported cases has been responsible for the release of criminals in some instances;
The security forces were admonished to hold criminals responsible for their acts and prosecute any one arrested at the courts of law as further failure to prosecute criminals to the latter of the law shall be grounds to make a case against them at the higher commands.
At the end of the convention, participants expressed appreciation and support for the organiser, the Olamaboro Progressive Initiative. They stated that the objectives and mission of the organisation were noble and couldn’t have come at a more better time.
Convention Communique was adopted at Okpo, Olamaboro Local Government Area, Kogi State, Nigeria on this 26th day of March 2016.
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