The House of Representatives has urged the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of State Security and other security agencies to urgently end the killings of innocent citizens by suspected cultists in Osun State.
The House urged them to intervene by deploying their officers to the affected areas in a bid to return to normalcy and restore peace and order.
The House mandated the joint Committee on Defense, Police and Army to interface with relevant authorities with a view to save lives and properties.
It urged the police and DSS to investigate a branded vehicle recovered from the suspected cultists by security operatives in one of their operations.
The House mandated the Committee on Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance.
These followed the adoption of a motion of urgent importance on the urgent need to end killings of innocent citizens by suspected cultists in Ijeshaland moved by Hon. Lawrence Babatunde Ayeni.
The House noted that Atakumosa East/Atakumosa West, Ilesha East and Ilesha West Federal Constituency of Osun State has been the most peaceful localities in the South West region of the country.
It noted with regret “that the inglorious activities of suspected members of the yet to be identified cultist group has over the past three months embarked on merciless murder of unsuspecting residents in the area.
The House observed that on the 7th February, 2022, members of the dreadful cultist group in broad daylight killed five persons while those who were hurt by stray bullets and sustained various degrees of injury were taken to Wesley Hospital located in Ilesha East for medical treatment.
The House was concerned that barely two weeks after, specifically 19th February, 2022 which was the day for the All Progressives Congress (APC) party primary, a group of political thugs who drove in a branded vehicle of certain political party, invaded the venue of the party primary and unleashed attacks on the voters and succeeded in killing one person before they escaped.
However, the security agencies pursued them and recovered the vehicle used for the operation where they abandoned it and was towed to Ayeso Police Station.
The House said it was aware that there was another massacre carried out on Monday, 21st February 2022 in Irojo area of Ilesha East during which seven persons were killed by the suspected cultists around 7.30pm, barely an hour of a peace meeting by some community leaders and the Osun State Commissioner of Police:
It worried that “residents of the areas can no longer sleep with their two eyes closed at night nor able to go about their lawful businesses during the day-time as a result of these life-threatening incidents.”
The House said if the ugly incidents are not nipped in the bud, it may cause breakdown of law and order as well as escalate to other parts of the State.