9th July 2024
The Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, has warned of a tough time for kidnappers and other criminals, saying that his administration would use all means available to chase them out of the state.
Abiodun gave the warning on Tuesday when he received officers and men of the State Police Command who rescued a Nigerian and three Indian nationals kidnapped at Ilisan along Sagamu-Benin Expressway last week.
The governor, who acknowledged the gallant efforts of the policemen in rescuing the kidnapped victims, said his administration had put in place, measures that would make the state too hot 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.
“A few days afterwards, 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 neutralized.
“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”, he said.
Abiodun, while commending the police for the string of successes recorded since the beginning of the year, said this would give investors and residents, the confidence they needed to live and invest in the state as peace and security was the key enabler of 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 noted.
The governor said the recent award as the ‘Governor of the Year in State Security’ further underscored the fact that his administration’s initiatives, investment, and support for security agencies were being acknowledged.
“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 collaborate and cooperate with all other law enforcement agencies in the State, including the Department of State Service (DSS), the Army, and all others,” Abiodun added.
