Chairperson of the Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority (OYRLEA), Justice Aderonke Aderemi (rtd), said the government is working hard to ensure that residents of the state comply with the rule of law.
She added that the rule of law were encapsulated in established regulations which has been making the people to live in a peaceful and safe environment.
Justice Aderemi said OYRLEA, established in 2024, was put in place to enforce existing laws relating to environmental protection, traffic management and open grazing.
Speaking at the Omituutun 2.0 Inter-Ministerial Briefing, held at the Briefing Room of the Governor’s Office, Ibadan, on Monday, she noted that it has achieved a level of success in ensuring order and peace in the society.
Aderemi said OYRLEA has addressed thousands of cases on road traffic management and the environment, while it has also curbed open grazing in many instances.
She clarified that it is dealing with simple crimes and offences such as enforcing the rules to achieve a clean, safe and orderly environment in line with Governor ‘Seyi Makinde’s policies, rather than taking over the statutory functions of the High Court and the Ministry of Justice.
The OYRLEA chairperson said the Authority has put in place tribunals, strategically positioned to prosecute those apprehended.
She said counsels are available to defend suspects, who can also apply for bail depending on the degree of offences committed, noting that offences attract jail terms and option of fines for offenders or lawbreakers.
The OYRLEA chairperson said: “The Authority deals with misdemeanours, that is, simple crimes. The Authority does not deal with in-depth crimes, like murder.
“If anyone commits murder, they will have to be taken to a regular High Court. Ours is to clear the road and deal with simple offences.”
The OYRLEA chairperson maintained that since the Authority was established, it has made moves to create awareness and sensitise members of the public on its activities.
She noted that the body has featured on several media programmes and also met with local government chairmen with a view to ensuring that the people at the grassroots are familiar with the new sheriff in town.
She added that the Authority has also carried out sensitisation against street-trading at Bodija and Bola Ige International markets, among others.
According to Justice Aderemi, the OYRLEA set up two tribunals, which have tried 6,000 traffic offences from September 2024 till date, as well as 3,000 environmental offences.
She noted that, in order to achieve success, the Authority has been collaborating with different MDAs and organisations, including OYMASED, Amotekun Corps, the military, Operation Burst, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Legal Aid Council, among others.
Highlighting some of the successes of OYRLEA, Justice Aderemi (rtd) said its efforts have helped in curbing open grazing, farmers-herders clashes across many locations and the elimination of shanties around public schools.
She said: “We were able to settle the farmers-herders’ crisis at Ido. People wrote petitions to us and we dealt with the issue.
“This is how we address farmers-herders’ issue; when the farmers report to us, what we do is to go there to investigate. We know when the herders would come out with their cows. The law says you must bring evidence. Isn’t that so?
“So what we do is that even if it is as early as 5 a.m., we will go there waiting with the enforcement team.
“Once they come out, we arrest them. We’ll arrest the cow, even if the herders run away. The cows cannot get away that fast. That is what we have been doing.
“Once we arrest the cows and we bring them down, the herders will show up and want us to release the cows to them. And, if they fail to show up, we sell the cows. The law permits us to sell the cows. That is what the law says.
“And, once we sell the cows, we give the money to the farmers, because their farms have been destroyed. That’s what the law says.
“If we arrest the cows and they are with us for seven days, after seven days, those cows have to be sold. But if they are in court, we have to wait because the judge will have to give judgment first.
“But, after the judgment and the herders refuse to come to claim the cow, we will sell the cow and use the money to pay compensation to the farmers. That is what we are doing now.
“I can tell you that many farmers are coming up, as we are dealing with a lot of petitions. We are going to Ogbomoso, Saki and Eruwa. We are travelling all over the place now. Once you tell us, you know I said see it, say it and we will sort it out.
“Once we know what is happening anywhere in Oyo State, within our own jurisdiction, we are ready to go. We will be there to sort it out. So, people should go back to the farms.”
Justice Aderemi (rtd) was accompanied to the briefing by the Secretary to the Board, Mrs K. K. Olosho-Olayiwola; Chief of Staff to the Chairperson, Mrs I. E. Akinbode; and Acting Director Administrative and Supplies, Mr Toyin Aluku, among others.
