April 30, (THEWILL) – Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State says his administration has acquired security drones as part of efforts to monitor and check criminal activities on the major highways across the state
Abiodun disclosed this when he hosted the new Commissioner of Police, Yomi Oladimeji, who paid a courtesy visit to his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta
“Recently, we have acquired drones to allow us monitor, particularly, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and other major highways, so that we can identify threats and respond to them with dispatch.
“CP Oladimeji, you have your job cut out for you. We have, in the past, had farmer/herders crises, and we are facing issues of cultism that continue to be on the rise, which we find very strange.
“There are issues of kidnapping here and there but I must thank the men and women of our law enforcement architecture including the police, DSS, the military, Civil Defence and other members of our security architecture for the hard work that has earned us the enviable title as one of the most peaceful States in Nigeria,” he noted.
The Governor said Ogun, as a state with the highest number of industries and also serving as the education and religious capital, was expected to have an influx of people with its attendant challenges, adding that the desire of his administration was to have a crime-free society to attract more investors to the state.
He noted that despite numerous challenges facing the country, the state has remained peaceful, attributing the feat to the inter-agencies synergy among heads of security agencies.
Abiodun thanked the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Usman, for the warm reception he received when he visited the IG to intimate him of issues of cultism and kidnapping that has plagued the state in recent time and for always deploying reputable and capable officers as Commissioners of Police to the state.
He added that the deployment of a water cannon and Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) by the IGP, would help in tackling crimes and criminalities in the state.
The Governor described the new CP as a round peg in a round hole, a legal practitioner, who is vast in judiciary and security matters, adding that his many years of traversing the nation as a police officer has prepared him for the task ahead.
He urged him to tap into his wealth of experience as someone, who knows the state terrain, to not only sustain the enviable record of his predecessors but to surpass it by working with other security chiefs to rid the state of crimes and criminalities.
Earlier, CP Oladimeji explained that the mission in the state was to protect the lives of law-abiding citizens to enable them to enjoy the fruits of their labour.
“We will be tough on criminals and friendly with law-abiding citizens. I want to assure the Governor and the citizens that we will not rest on getting rid of criminals out of Ogun State. All we need is the cooperation of the people and assistance from the Government,” he stated.
