Arm to teeth Security personnel comprising soldiers, policemen and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday stormed the roads of Osogbo in a show of force ahead of today’s governorship primaries of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State.
Another team of armed security personnel took up positions in and around the state secretariat of the party. They had on standby an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC).
Locked in the race for the APC ticket are the incumbent governor, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola; a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr.Moshood Adeoti and a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Lasun Yusuf.
As security was being beefed up across the state, the Olowu of Kuta, Oba Adekunle Makama, raised the alarm about the infiltration of his community by non-state actors who, according to him, were stockpiling arms and ammunition at the behest of some politicians.
Osogbo, the state capital in particular has recorded some shootings and intimidation of residents by suspected thugs in the last few days, raising tension ahead of the primaries.
The situation is not helped by the war of words between supporters of the governor and those of Adeoti who is being backed by Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola.
The armed security personnel were sighted in operational vehicles at about 8pm yesterday patrolling the streets of Osogbo ostensibly to warn trouble makers to keep the peace.
Spokesperson of the State Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, said the police were fully ready to ensure there would be no security breach today.
She said: “Preparation for the APC primary election is intact. We have more men now. I won’t say the actual number of those deployed. By God’s grace, we have mounted checks in all the boundaries to the state. We are ready for the task.”
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the state said in a separate statement by its spokesperson, Olabisi Atanda, that the Commandant, Emmanuel Ocheja, had ordered a full-scale covert operation to check any act of criminality by hoodlums, thugs and miscreants.
She said this followed “insinuations and allegations in some quarters that some nefarious elements have stockpiled the uniforms of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Correctional Service with the intent of distributing them to non-state actors for use during the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship primary elections.”