Thursday, 18 December 2025

Home / Unlabelled / ‎Governor Adeleke’s ‘Dance’ Leaves Police Defenseless, Puts Security on the Line

‎Governor Adeleke’s ‘Dance’ Leaves Police Defenseless, Puts Security on the Line

‎The surge in kidnappings and banditry in Ọraigbomina and the surrounding border towns of Osun State can no longer be dismissed as an isolated security glitch. It is, in part, the direct consequence of a decision that has turned vital law‑enforcement assets into a political football: the continued retention of the Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) that were meant for the Osun State Police.
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‎The APCs in question

‎The 25 APCs were procured during the tenure of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola as part of a broader effort to bolster the state’s security architecture. Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration announced a rehabilitation programme, refurbishing 11 of the 22 available carriers as a cost‑saving measure rather than purchasing new ones.

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‎“On the carriers are boldly written ‘rehabilitated by Governor Ademola Adeleke’,” a source told us. “The governor is waiting to launch the second phase immediately after the final upgrade of the first 11.”

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‎According to multiple sources, the vehicles were taken from police custody under the pretext of repair, refurbished, and subsequently parked at the Government House in Osogbo. Weeks have passed since the repair works were reportedly completed, yet the carriers have not been returned to the police.

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‎Voices from the ground

‎Residents of Ọraigbomina, a border town that shares a frontier with Kwara State, say the missing APC has emboldened criminal gangs.
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‎“We are seeing more attacks because the police no longer have the armoured vehicle they need to respond quickly,” said a trader who asked to be identified only as Mama Jumbo‑Jumbo. “If Governor Ademola Adeleke can release the APC he fixed, it would at least give the police a chance to patrol the roads again.”

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‎A pattern of neglect

‎Civil‑society groups, notably the Centre for Social Justice and Public Protection (CSJPP), have highlighted a pattern of abandoned APCs across the state. One carrier remains stranded in front of the Government House due to a drainage project, while another sits idle at the Ilesa Police Area Command in Ayeso. The CSJPP warns that the state’s security strategy is being undermined by inaction, and that the lack of operational APCs hampers rapid response, especially in volatile border areas.
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‎Political fallout

‎The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Governor Adeleke’s administration of neglecting essential security equipment, while opposition voices argue that the retention of state assets for personal or political purposes is eroding public confidence in the government’s ability to protect its citizens.
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‎The “Dancing Governor,” as he is popularly known, now faces a stark choice: return the APCs to the police and demonstrate a commitment to restoring law and order, or continue to hold onto vehicles that were never his to keep. The longer the carriers remain parked at the Government House, the longer criminal elements will exploit the void, and the deeper the sense of abandonment will grow among the people of Osun.

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‎Call to action

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‎KAKAKIOODUA calls on Governor Adeleke to act immediately. All the APCs must be released to the Osun State Police Command without further delay.
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‎In a state where insecurity already threatens livelihoods and social cohesion, the retention of a single armoured vehicle may seem trivial, but it is symptomatic of a broader governance problem. The onus is now on the governor to prove that his administration’s “dance” is not a mask for negligence, but a step toward a safer, more secure Osun.

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‎The time for rhetoric has passed; the time for action is now.

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