Governor Dapo Abiodun pledges to tackle Ogun security threats, register foreign nationals, and demolish criminal settlements across the state.
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, said in Iperu Remo on Monday that his administration would “leave no stone unturned” in protecting the state’s security architecture, announcing plans to register all foreign nationals and non-indigenes to curb infiltration by criminal elements.
Also read: Ogun APC crisis deepens as party elders fault Abiodun
The governor spoke after a nearly two-hour security meeting with heads of law enforcement agencies, including the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo; the Ogun State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Remi Ekundayo;
Commander of the 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta, Brig. Gen. Godwin Nwamba; and representatives of the Department of State Services.
Abiodun said law enforcement reports indicated that at least 70 non-indigenes from Chad and Sudan had been arrested in the past three to four days, without clear explanations of their purpose in the state.
He added that the planned registration would help identify genuine residents and isolate those using Ogun as a base for criminal activity.
The governor warned traditional rulers and community leaders against allocating land to strangers, stating that violators would face prosecution.
He disclosed that security agencies had identified a criminal hideout known as Zanga in Ijebu Ode and ordered a crackdown on the settlement and similar shanties across the state. “We have some settlements carrying out untoward activities.
I have instructed the law enforcement agencies to move into these types of settlements. We shall demolish these settlements and occupy them,” he said.
Abiodun said scrap dealers and scavengers had increasingly become security threats, pledging intensified monitoring of their activities.
He further warned that illegal miners and criminals hiding in forest reserves would not be tolerated, adding that the state had mapped plans to flush out miscreants and requested the establishment of a Forward Operating Base in Ilara, Yewa North, to enhance border security.
Regarding alleged insecurity in Ajebo, Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area, the governor said security agencies had visited the area and found no cause for alarm, but it remained under surveillance.
He urged residents to support law enforcement, emphasising that “keeping the state safe is the business of all.”
Abiodun commended security agencies for their proactive efforts and pledged continued logistical support from the government.
Also read: Ogun Governor Abiodun Strengthens Security Amid Rising Threats
He also lauded President Bola Tinubu for prioritising national security, particularly the recent rescue of 38 worshippers abducted during a church service in Eruku, Kwara State.
