Going by series of kidnapping as well as other crimes which occurred in the last two weeks in some black spots located in Ogun state, especially along highways, the Ogun state government on Monday threatened to bring a legal action against any landlords and demolish property that house criminals.
The State government also declared that effort was being put together to relaunch state security trust fund earlier launched in 2012 to combat crimes and criminality as drones, flying boats, tracking devises and other security gadgets would be secured to flush criminals out of the state.
Speaking at the Oke-Mosan Governor’s Office in Abeokuta on Monday, Governor Dapo Abiodun said combined security forces would be deployed to all nooks and crannies of the state to combat all forms of crimes and criminality that may put the state in danger as government would not tolerate any illegal presence of criminals in any part of the state.
Governor Abiodun, who made a media briefing in company of Bashir Makama, State Commissioner of Police and David Tuska, Director of State Security Service, said, “Let me state in clear terms that no part of Ogun State will be a safe haven for criminals and criminality in whatever form.
“Whether on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Sagamu-Benin-Ore expressway, Abeokuta-Sango expressway or even our township roads, inter-State roads, we shall smoke them out, we shall arrest them and we shall hand over to the swift hands of justice.
“For people with legitimate businesses, let me assure that Ogun State will continue to be a paradise but for people with criminal tendencies, hell for you will be a child’s play.
“Let me use this opportunity to sound this very strong note of warning to our landlords and any property owner, that any property or facility found to be serving as hideout to criminals will not only be taken over by the State, but we will demolish them. The landlords will also be arrested and handed over for prosecution for harbouring criminals, we will consider and treat them as accomplices.
“We are working forwards strengthening our security apparatus in the State. We are reorganising the Ogun State Security Trust Funds and it will comprise key stakeholders along side government officials and some of our longstanding retired law enforcement officers.
We will be relaunching the State Security Trust Fund. We will ensure that it has the right cooperate governance so that it can provide the required funding for our law enforcement agencies.
RAZAQ AYINLA, Abeokuta
