Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has raised the alarm over planned attacks on schools and rural farm communities in the state.
He disclosed this in a statement by his spokesperson, Malam Olawale Rasheed, yesterday, March 12, in Osogbo, the state capital.
Adeleke said intelligence reports made available to him revealed a deliberate mobilisation of criminal elements to attack rural areas of the state.
The governor said his administration was worried about the reports, adding that those behind the plot were targeting disruption of farming through kidnappings and attacks on rural farm settlements.
Adeleke said the schools were being targeted with abductions and attacks to distract the implementation of the Safe School Initiative and the multi-billion naira infrastructure plan in the state.
He said a meeting of the state Security Council had been summoned and that preliminary directives had been issued to school authorities to take precautions to enhance the safety of pupils and students.
The governor said: “The Ministry of Education and all educational agencies have been ordered to review safety measures in Osun State schools in line with the Safe School Initiative.
“In specific terms, school principals and heads are expected to clear overgrown weeds in school environments and ensure close liaison with the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) to secure their school environments.”
Adeleke assured the public that his administration had taken proactive steps to secure the schools and farming communities.