Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun has warned criminals terrorizing the state that the state is a no-go area, saying, ”If you test our will, we will smoke you out and neutralize you.”
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 the Sagamu-Benin Expressway last week.
The governor noted that his administration would use all means available to chase them out and put in place measures to make the state too hot for criminals to operate.
He said: “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.”
Abiodun praised the police for their recent achievements, noting that peace and security are essential for a society’s socioeconomic growth and that this would provide citizens and investors the confidence they need to live and invest in the State.
“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 in the line of fire, doing what they signed for so that all of us can sleep with our eyes closed.
“As the industrial capital of Nigeria, we take serious offense 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.
He 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 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 governor also revealed that he had personally discussed with President Bola Tinubu the appalling condition of bad points on the Sagamu-Ijebu Ode Motorway, which criminals are using to ambush travelers.
He disclosed that the President has instructed the Minister of Works to take immediate action and fix those weak points.