Thieves Burgle Oyo House Of Assembly

Thieves last night burgled the Oyo State House of Assembly in Southwest Nigeria.

The complex shares same fence with the state governor’s office at the secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan Capital of Oyo State.

Confirming the incident, Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Monsurat Sumonu said that the thieves who raided the offices of the legislators entered through the windows of the offices.

She said that though they entered her office, they did not tamper with files on the table, adding that they stole laptops and television sets among other things.

“They opened the drawers and lockers. I cannot quantify what they stole until I liaise with my colleagues to tell me what they had lost to the ugly incident. I have invited the state director of State Security Service (SSS) and the commissioner of police so that we can talk over the incident,” she said.

Earlier at the sitting the lawmakers deliberated on the recent flood in Ibadan that destroyed lives and property, and Honourable Segun Olaleye from Ibadan North 1 and Honourable Abraham Adelakun representing Afijio, moved a motion geared towards averting a similar flood disaster in the state.

In their joint motion, they sought that the state government should put machinery in place to forestall such a disaster in future by demolishing illegal structures and houses and shops built very close to the river or houses that are obstructing the flow of the rivers.

They said: “We call for greater support from the Federal Government of Nigeria especially in the areas of channelization of River Odo-Ona and rebuilding bridges swept away at Apete, Olunde, and Odo Ona and such other troublous ones as the Awolowo bridge, Bodija and that of Oyo town. The Ministry of Environment should step up efforts at dredging rivers in and around the state capital, Ibadan and other towns and villages across the state.”

They urged the Ministry of Environment and its agencies such as Oyo State Waste Management Agency to enforce extant law on dumping of refuse inside drainage and on the streets thereby making such acts unpopular and effecting deterrence.

They further asked the ministry to provide more containers for dumping of refuse, stressing that the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, be provided with up to date rescue equipment and vehicles to facilitate effective delivery of service during emergencies.

Among the legislators that commented on the motion was Honourable Bolomope of Accord Party who described the incident as more of human than natural disaster.

According to him, the avoidable disaster was caused by the flouting of environmental laws by the residents of Oyo State, stressing that most houses in Ibadan violated the law.

The House also urged the state government to ensure that streetlights in the city are repaired and made functional.

They urged the state government to work hand in hand for the enforcement of traffic light in the city.

The Ondo State Government today donated several materials worth millions of naira to Oyo State Government for onward distribution to the affected victims.

Among the things donated were mattresses, foodstuff and blankets.

By Gbenro Adesina