The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has pledged support for vigilance groups in the 11 Local Government Areas of Ibadan to tackle insecurity, kidnapping and other crimes.

The monarch made the pledge on Sunday in Ibadan, when he received executive members of the Bodija Estate Residents’ Association (BERA), who presented to him the maiden edition of Bodija Connect magazine.

The traditional ruler said that the support would include financial assistance and operational equipment to enable the vigilantes operate to effectively secure lives and property.

He said, “I have held a meeting with heads of vigilance groups in the 11 local government areas, and I have assured them that they would be equipped so that they can secure the lives and property of Ibadan residents.”

Mr Ladoja also assured the Bodija community of continued support in line with the vision of its founding fathers, noting that steps would be taken to ensure that commercial activities do not disrupt the peaceful living of residents.

Earlier, President of the association, Dr Muyiwa Bamgbose, said the presentation of the maiden edition of Bodija Connect to the Olubadan was a significant milestone for the association.

He said the publication reflected the association’s commitment to community engagement, knowledge sharing and collective development.

Mr Bamgbose stated that it captured key issues affecting the estate, including the Bodija explosion, heritage and aspirations for a thriving community.

He also congratulated the royal father on his installation and prayed for a peaceful and impactful reign.

Mr Bamgbose, however, drew the royal father’s attention to key concerns affecting the estate, particularly insecurity, road safety, environmental noise pollution, poor electricity supply and post-explosion support for affected residents.

According to him, residents are worried about rising cases of abduction in Ibadan and the need for stronger security measures, including the deployment of technology to deter criminals.

On road safety, the president of BERA appealed for the installation of speed breakers and other traffic-calming measures in parts of Bodija to curb reckless driving and avoidable deaths.

He also decried increasing noise pollution from clubs, lounges and some religious centres, saying it was affecting the peaceful atmosphere of the estate, especially for elderly residents.

Mr Bamgbose further decried poor electricity supply to the estate and called for the intervention of the royal father for you improvement.

On the aftermath of the Bodija explosion, he thanked Governor Seyi Makinde for efforts made so far, but said that many affected residents still required sustained support, especially those initially excluded.

He said that compensation paid to victims was reduced, while some houses outside the 500-metre mark were excluded from the relief.

“As the community that was most hit by the explosion, the compensation paid to victims were scaled down to about 40 per cent. While many houses considered beyond 500 meters were removed from the list. In all, what was distributed to victims is about N3.9 billion out of N30 billion intervention from the Federal Government,” he said.

Other BERA executive members present include the Vice President, Dipo Olasope; General Secretary, David Afolayan and the Public Relations Officer, Ayo Oyerinde.

Others are the Treasurer, Ayo Ola; and Financial Secretary, Oluwatayo Moses. 

(NAN)