_By Segun Dipe
Since assuming office in October 2022, Governor Biodun Oyebanji has made the security of lives and property the foundation of his administration’s development agenda. His approach combines structural reform, inter-agency collaboration, technology, and community engagement. Here’s what he has done to date:
1. Overhauling Ekiti’s Security Architecture
In February 2025, the Ekiti State Executive Council approved a strategic plan to reorganize the state’s safety, security, and emergency management system.
The process began with a scoping study by Logic City Fleet Services, the same consultant that advised on Lagos’ LASEMA re-organisation. The study reviewed existing policies, infrastructure, and agency capabilities to identify gaps and actionable reforms. A committee was set up to produce a White Paper, and implementation began in January 2025 in phases due to financial requirements. Logic City is driving the execution as consultant.
2. Strengthening Military and Inter-Agency Collaboration
Oyebanji has consistently pushed for deeper synergy among security agencies. In meetings with the Nigerian Army’s 32 Artillery Brigade and other commanders, he urged sustained collaboration and intelligence sharing, noting that existing synergy helped Ekiti maintain its reputation as one of Nigeria’s most peaceful states.
He also met with Service Chiefs in Abuja in 2024 to request strategic interventions, including a Forward Operating Base for Ekiti. The Chief of Defence Staff assured the state of military support and expressed readiness to work with local security networks.
3. Regional Security Collaboration
Recognizing that cross-border crime was a growing threat, Oyebanji convened the inaugural meeting of security advisers from Ekiti, Ondo, Kogi, Kwara, and Osun States in September 2024.
The goal was intelligence sharing and joint action against criminals who exploit state boundaries to evade arrest. Future meetings were planned to involve border local governments to deepen cooperation. The administration also intensified security in farm settlements to encourage farmers to return without fear.
4. Rapid Response to Security Threats
When two traditional rulers were killed in Oke-Ako, Ikole LGA, in January 2024, Oyebanji immediately ordered security agencies to fish out the perpetrators and condemned the attack. He assured residents that no stone would be left unturned and deployed agents to the area.
Following bandit attacks in neighboring Kwara and Kogi, he cut short his leave to meet security chiefs and assured residents that Ekiti remained safe, with surveillance tightened across borders and communities.
In a statewide broadcast in January 2024, he pledged to “flush criminal syndicates out of Ekiti” and reinvigorate local security outfits to work with conventional forces against kidnapping and banditry.
5. Infrastructure and Technology for Security
Oyebanji allocated over 1,000 hectares of land to the Nigerian Air Force for a permanent facility at the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport. The move is aimed at strengthening security, protecting infrastructure, and boosting investor confidence.
His administration has also committed to deploying technology for crime detection and prevention, and providing equipment to both conventional and local security networks.
6. Community and Preventive Measures
The state government has identified vulnerable schools, marketplaces, and public spaces for enhanced protection. Night activities in vulnerable areas have been restricted, and residents are being urged to provide credible intelligence.
Oyebanji has also assured persons with disabilities of protection against molestation and abuse, backing it with legislation and social inclusion policies.
The Result? Ekiti has maintained relative peace despite insecurity in parts of the Southwest. Oyebanji’s strategy has been to reform the system, collaborate regionally, equip security forces, and involve communities—is designed to keep it that way.
Based on the available data, Ekiti is the top-performing state in the South West on security from 2023-2025, with measurable declines in violent crime and the lowest reported killings nationally in Q2 2025. The challenge is maintaining this, as insecurity in neighboring Kogi and Kwara creates spillover pressure.
The next phase will test how quickly these reforms translate into visible gains on the ground. But the direction is clear: BAO is making Ekiti inhospitable to criminals and safe for investment and daily life.
Know this, know peace.
_-Segun Dipe is the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ekiti State Chapter._