Ogun to know foreigners, non-indigenes through registration, curbing insecurity
File photo: Ogun State Governor, Abiodun
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, on Monday, said that his administration will never leave any stone unturned to ensure that nothing hurts the security architecture of the state.
Abiodun said that his administration has therefore decided to embark on the registration of all foreign nationals and non-indigenes residents in the state to curb infiltration of those entering the state illegally to perpetrate illegal activities.
He disclosed this on Monday while addressing journalists at his private residence at Iperu Remo after an almost two-hour meeting with the security chiefs in the state.
The governor stated that, going by the reports of the law enforcement agencies, not fewer than 70 non-indigenes from Chad, Sudan had been arrested in the state in the last three, four days without a clear cut of why they are in the state or where they are heading to.
Abiodun said that the registration of the foreign nationals and non-indigenes would help the state to know who is who and also those infiltrating the state for criminal enterprise.
The governor has also warned traditional rulers and other community leaders against allocating lands to strangers in the state, vowing to prosecute any traditional rulers found sabotaging the government’s efforts to protect residents of the state.
In attendance at the briefing were the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, Ogun State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Remi Ekundayo, Commander, 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta, Brig.Gen Godwin Nwamba, representatives of the Department of State Service, among others.
The governor stated that the essence of the meeting with the security chiefs was to assess the security situation across the state and see what could further be done to ensure that nothing jeopardises the peace of the state.
Briefing journalists over some of the far-reaching resolutions made during the security meeting, Abiodun said, “Being an industrial capital with many people coming from different parts of the world to set companies here in the state, we discovered that some of the workers in this company are not documented and we have resolved that all those who have come to make the state their home, all these foreign nationals are documented.
“This will be done in partnership with the law enforcement agencies, the police and the immigration. We are doing this to ensure that when there are issues, we can beat our chest and say yes, these ones having issues are here legally in the country and they are known to us in the state.
“We are also going to have meetings with our non-indigenes. Yes, we have been living with them for decades very peacefully but there are times when some are infiltrating them and therefore misrepresenting these non-indigenes.”
He added, “So, we have resolved to register any non-indigenes that come into our state so we know who they are, why they are here and what they are doing in the state. We have received reports of people coming from other countries for no constructive reasons.
“The law enforcement agents have arrested about 70 people in the last three, four days who are from Chad, Sudan….they don’t even speak English and they can not also explain why they are here, so we shall be processing these people alongside the Nigerian Immigration Services and the non-indigenes to ensure that they are more vigilant and we know who is here and why they are here.”
The governor also said that the security apparatus in the state has identified a criminal hideout called Zanga around Ijebu Ode, saying that he has urged the law enforcement agencies to move into the community and other shanties and flush out the criminals using these places as cover-up for their nefarious activities.
He explained, “We have some settlements carrying out untoward activities in the state, one of such places is Zanga in Ijebu Ode. I have instructed the law enforcement agencies to move into these types of settlements. We shall demolish these settlements and occupy them.
“You will remember that earlier in my administration, we passed a law to demolish any building that is harbouring criminals, while any erring landlords or landladies will also be brought to book.”
Abiodun also said that the government will heighten its surveillance over the scrap sellers and scavengers and ensure that they do not disguise themselves as scavengers while their ultimate intent is to hurt the security of the residents of the state.
He stated, “We also discussed the issue of the scrap sellers, the scavengers who are now proving to be more of a threat than they have been in the past.
“We are going to beam our searchlight on them, we shall engage them to ensure that they are not found a willing tool to hurt the security of the state.”
The governor also said that his government will move against all illegal miners and criminals using the forest reserves as a hideout, saying that his administration will never allow bandits under whatever guise to have an inch of the state’s vast land.
He added, “I once held a meeting with our Kabiyesis and baales and warned them about allocating lands to strangers, all lands belong to the government. We will hold any baales or Kabiyesi liable for signing the MoU or allocating lands to strangers and the laws will be very swift.
“We shall not condone any act appearing to be sabotaging our commonwealth and security. This is the nation’s industrial capital and we can’t afford to allow anything to hurt our security.
“We also have the challenge of illegal miners and we are working with all our security architecture to rid our forest of these criminally minded souls. All the security is working together and there will be no blinking of eyes until we send all these criminals packing.
“In fact, for our forest reserves, we have our plans mapped out to flush out miscreants from all our forest reserves. We have learnt that our forests are becoming a hideout for these criminals.”
The governor also requested the establishment of a Forward Operating Base (FOB) around Ilara, a key border community in Yewa North Local Government, to prioritise the security of border communities.
On the alleged insecurity around the Ajebo community in Obafemi-Owode Local Government, the governor said that the security agencies have visited the place and have found out that there is nothing to panic about, adding that, though the community, among others, are under the radar of security agencies in the state
Abiodun has, however, requested the support of all the residents of the state to keep the state more peaceful and ward off any acts capable of undermining the security of the state.
He disclosed, “And to all the residents of the state, the law enforcement agencies can’t do it all alone, we must be responsible citizens, we must be observant, we must be our neighbours’ keepers.
“We must report swiftly to our security agencies, our Kabiyesis, our traditional rulers, any nefarious activities. Keeping the state safe is the business of all and we must all continue to collaborate with the government and all our security agencies to get this job done.”
While thanking the law enforcement agencies in the state for their proactiveness, Abiodun challenged the security forces to do a lot more in intelligence sharing while also pledging that his administration will continue to give necessary logistics support to ensure that the security agencies function maximally and ensure that the state remains the most peaceful in the country.
The governor hailed President Bola Tinubu for his commitment and efforts to rejig the economy while also prioritising the safety of all Nigerians, especially with the recent rescue of the 38 worshippers abducted last week in Kwara State during a church service at Eruku
Abiodun’s briefing is coming on the heels of heightened insecurity across the country
Reports had it that tension escalated recently after bandits attacked St Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in the Papiri community of Agwara Local Government Area, Niger State, abducting 305 students and 12 teachers.
This is coming only four days after 26 schoolgirls were abducted from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi.
During the Kebbi school attack, the terrorists shot dead the school’s Vice Principal, Hasan Makuku, and left the principal with a gunshot wound.
The hoodlums had also last week Wednesday invaded a Christ Apostolic Church during a midweek service at Eruku town, Kwara State killing no less than three people and abducting 38 people.
The federal government and some northern states, in response, ordered a shutdown of academic activities in some schools over rising insecurity and abduction of pupils.
While the Federal Government closed 41 unity schools, governors of Kwara, Plateau, Niger, Benue, and Katsina also shut down schools in their states to halt further abduction of students
Tinubu, who postponed his trips to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, to attend to the growing insecurity in the country, however, in a statement on Sunday, announced the successful rescue of all the 38 kidnapped Kwara church worshippers, as 51 out of the school pupils abducted by the bandits in Katsina State.
