The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has deployed Agro-Rangers to farming settlements and rural communities across Oyo State as part of measures to protect farmers and curb criminal activities.
State Commandant Augustine Padonu disclosed this on Thursday in Ibadan while receiving members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, during a courtesy visit to his office.
Padonu said the command had established operational bases in rural areas, particularly farming communities, to improve security coverage, protect agricultural activities and reduce threats to farmers and other residents.
He added that the command was considering expanding the presence of Agro-Rangers in strategic locations to respond more effectively to emerging security challenges in vulnerable communities.
The NSCDC commandant said the Oyo Command had more than 2,000 personnel, 78 divisional offices and 11 area commands across the state, alongside specialised units established to tackle specific security threats.
He said the command’s Counter-Terrorism Unit was also participating in security operations, stressing that the deployment of specialised teams had strengthened the corps’ capacity to respond to criminal activities.
Padonu called for closer collaboration among security agencies, journalists, community leaders and government authorities to tackle kidnapping, banditry and other threats confronting communities.
He expressed concern over the activities of criminal groups operating in forested areas, saying improved intelligence sharing and coordinated operations were necessary to prevent criminals from exploiting boundaries between states.
According to him, the NSCDC was collaborating with other security agencies and the Oyo State Government’s security adviser to address security concerns in different parts of the state.
He urged stakeholders to support efforts aimed at protecting lives and property, particularly in rural communities where farmers and other residents could be exposed to criminal attacks.
Padonu also urged journalists to exercise responsibility when reporting security matters, stressing the need to verify information before publication.
“There is nothing any agency can do without journalists. We cannot blow our own trumpet; you are the ones who will do that for us,” he said, acknowledging the media’s role in informing the public about security operations and achievements.
The command’s deployment of Agro-Rangers comes amid continuing security concerns in some rural parts of Oyo.
In May 2026, NSCDC Agro-Rangers and other security personnel engaged suspected kidnappers and bandits in Iseyin, resulting in one suspect being killed and two others arrested, according to the command.
Earlier, Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Yinka Adeniran, said the journalists visited the command to appreciate NSCDC personnel for their contributions to security operations in Oyo, particularly efforts to secure the return of victims abducted in Oriire Local Government Area.
Adeniran, who works with The Nation, said journalists who covered developments surrounding the incident witnessed the efforts of security personnel and considered it important to acknowledge their sacrifices.
He commended the command for its activities and urged it to sustain its engagement with the media by providing timely information about its operations and achievements.
The chapel chairman also praised the NSCDC’s Safe School Initiative, saying its reported outreach to about 65,000 students demonstrated the importance of security awareness in schools.
Recent figures from the command show that its Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre sensitised 65,432 students across 182 schools in all 33 local government areas of Oyo State between July and September 2026.
The campaign followed the May 15 abduction of pupils and staff from three schools in Oriire.
Adeniran said the Correspondents’ Chapel would continue to support public awareness of security initiatives through its reporting and disclosed that the command would be recognised during the chapel’s press week in November.
