THE Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has directed the compulsory installation and use of the close circuit television (CCTV) device in all public and private institutions in the state.
The governor gave the directive in an Executive Order issued in Akure today.
According to a statement signed by his spokesperson, Richard Olatunde, Akeredolu said that he drew his power to issue the order from Section 176 (2) of the amended 1999 Nigerian Constitution.
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He said that the decision became imperative following the increased spate of insecurity in the country, and the need to ensure the security of lives and properties in all public and private institutions and centres throughout the state.
The statement said, “The executive order shall be enforced at all religious places of worship, financial institutions (of all kinds), event centres, supermarkets, educational institutions (schools), hotels/motels, guest houses, inns, restaurants, clinics and health centres, eateries (of all kinds), recreation or vehicular parks, and other places regularly used by the public.
“That the owners, occupiers, managers and operators of public/private institutions within Ondo State shall mandatorily install, use and maintain CCTV devices and other secret cameras to monitor and keep surveillance on the daily activities in their premises and, especially, monitor the ingress and egress of people/vehicles at the said places, venues and centres.
“That the installed CCTV devices, apart from capturing all activities at public/private institutions, must also have data storage hardware and that the data stored therein should be made available to security agencies whenever it is required.
“That public/private institutions shall employ and maintain well-trained security personnel who shall man the entry and exit points to their various facilities/premises.”
The governor also directed that the owners and occupiers of public and private institutions must erect a well-fortified perimeter fence with a security post at the entry and exit points, where necessary.
The governor directed security agencies, including the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ondo State Security Network Agency popularly known as Amotekun, and the Department of State Security Services (DSS) to enforce the directive across the state.
Akeredolu warned that violators of the Executive Order shall be “prosecuted in accordance with Section 203 of the Criminal Code (Cap. 37) Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria.”
The governor’s directive came weeks after suspected gunmen invaded and killed more than 38 people, including women and children at the St. Francis Catholic Church, in the Owo Local Government Area of the state.
The incident, which attracted condemnations from far and near, also left more than 50 persons sustaining various degrees of gunshot injuries.
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