Ogun State Lead Representative, Dapo Abiodun, has cautioned of a challenging time for criminals, saying that his government would use all means accessible to drive them out of the State.
He gave the admonition on Tuesday when he received security operarives of the Ogun State Police Command who rescued a Nigerian and three Indian nationals abducted at Ilisan along the Sagamu-Benin Expressway last week.
The Lead Representative, who recognized the courageous efforts of the policemen in rescuing the abducted victims, said his government hasset up measures that would make the state uncomfortable for criminals to operate.
“Sometimes last week, it was reported that over 20 people were kidnapped in this particular instance that we are describing. Of course, the police immediately clarified that it was only four and not 20 as widely circulated and sensationalized,” he said.
“A few days afterward, through various creative and ingenious means, men of the State Police Command were able to bring the kidnappers to book. In the course of tracking and arresting, all of them were neutralised.
“I want to sound a note of warning to criminals that Ogun State is a no-go area. I want to assure them that we are just beginning, and this is a sample of what the State Police Command has in stock for criminals.
“If you test our will, we will come after you, we will smoke you out, we will find you, and we will neutralize you.”
The Lead Representative while applauding the police for the series of triumphs recorded starting from the beginning of the year, said this would give investors and residents, the certainty they needed to live and invest in the state as peace and security are the vital empowering influences of the socio-economic development of a society.
“As the industrial capital of Nigeria, we take serious offence at any attempt to breach the peace and security that we enjoy as a state. To this extent, we have continued to give the needed support to all our law enforcement architecture, appreciating the fact that any disruption of peace will affect the investors’ confidence and the ease of doing business in our state,” he said.
He said the recent award as the ‘Governor of the Year in State Security’ further highlighted the fact that his administration’s initiatives, investment, and support for security agencies were being recognized.
While thanking the men who were engaged in the rescue operation for risking lives on the line for the tranquility of the state, Abiodun said he needed to demand that they be brought to his office for him to say thank you in person.
“I specifically requested that the Commissioner bring them so that I can shake their hands, appreciate them, and let them know that the entire state is thankful for the hard work they are putting in. They are constantly on the line of fire, doing what they signed for so that all of us can sleep with our eyes closed.
“I am glad that our support for the police is manifesting in different ways positively. I want to thank the Commissioner of Police for doing a very good job by motivating his men, very good job at collaborating and cooperating with all other law enforcement agencies in the State, including the Department of State Service (DSS), the Army, and all others,” he added.
The Lead Representative likewise uncovered that he had personally discussed the horrible state of the bad spots on the Sagamu-Ijebu Ode Expressway which miscreants are exploiting to snare travelers with President Bola Tinubu, adding that the President has ordered the Minister of Works to get the ball rolling and fix those bad portions.
Speaking earlier, the State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, while introducing the men who engaged in the operation, uncovered that the abductors were engaged in extreme firearm battle with members of the Command’s Anti-kidnapping Squad led by an officer who was recently transferred to the state from Oyo State.
The police commissioner said items recovered from the location of the crime include five AK-47 rifles, 109 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, eight AK-47 magazines, and two cell phones.
Alamutu, while emphasizing that the state’s security design was working round the clock to guarantee the safety of lives and property of the people, particularly along the axis where the incident occurred, appreciated the state government for the support given to the Command so far.
