Oyo strengthens intelligence drive against kidnapping, cybercrime

By Adejayan Gbenga

The Oyo State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening intelligence-driven security operations and deepening collaboration with national defence and intelligence institutions to protect lives and property across the state.

The Acting Governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Lawal, stated this through the Secretary to the State Government, Musibau Babatunde, while receiving the commandant and participants of the Advanced Defence Intelligence Officers’ Course 16 (2026) of the Defence Intelligence College, Karu, during a courtesy visit to Ibadan.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Media, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, Lawal described the Defence Intelligence College as a critical institution for strengthening Nigeria’s national security and intelligence capacity. He stressed that security remained fundamental to sustainable economic development, investment, education, social stability and the wellbeing of residents.

He said the Makinde administration had continued to strengthen the state’s security architecture through improved inter-agency collaboration, enhanced intelligence gathering and sharing, investment in surveillance and communication infrastructure, as well as increased community engagement.

However, Lawal noted that emerging threats, including kidnapping, banditry, sophisticated criminal networks and cybercrime, required security agencies to continuously improve their capacity to anticipate and respond to evolving challenges. He therefore pledged that the state would deepen collaboration with the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security institutions in intelligence development, early warning systems, information sharing, capacity building and community-based security.

In addition, the acting governor urged the course participants to engage relevant stakeholders and approach the study tour with open minds, stressing that their responsibilities extended beyond professional training. He said their ultimate duty was to protect lives, preserve national unity and create an environment where citizens could live and prosper in peace.

Earlier, the Commandant of the Defence Intelligence College, Commodore Usman Bugaje, said the delegation, comprising course participants and faculty members, was in Oyo as part of its national study tour, which forms the field component of the Advanced Defence Intelligence Officers’ Course. He explained that the five- to six-month programme combines classroom instruction with field exposure to enable participants to identify security gaps and develop actionable solutions.

Bugaje added that the tour would provide the officers with an opportunity to engage security agencies, the military and other stakeholders while learning from Oyo’s response to security challenges, particularly kidnapping. He commended Governor Makinde for supporting security agencies and intelligence operations, adding that findings from the tour would be documented and shared with relevant governments and security agencies to strengthen intelligence gathering and security operations nationwide.