Ogun Communities Beg Police For Area Command
As plans for the setting up of three new police area commands in Ogun State get underway, residents of Arepo and Warewa communities in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the state have sent an appeal to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kpotun Idris Ibrahim through the commissioner of police, Mr. Ahmed lliyasu for establishing an area command in their community.
Specifically, residents of the two communities are begging the police authorities to urgently locate the area command in Warewa to take care of grave security challenges posed by the regular armed robbery and murderous attacks on the long bridge between the Julius Berger end of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Warewa.
Besides, the communities are also praying the police high command to site the area command in the communities as a strategic way of addressing incessant cases of bunkering and pipeline vandalisation in Arepo and its neighbouring communities of Magboro, Ibafo and others by the militants.
According to a statement signed by the president and General Secretary of Arepo Community Development Association, (ACCDA), Mr. Kehinde Adeyemo and Mr. Friday Erabor respectively, representing the two communities “it stated that on behalf of Arepo Central Community Development Association and the entire residents of Arepo and Warewa, we write to make a compelling case for a police Area Command in Warewa”, stating that this becomes necessary in view of recent developments in Warewa and Arepo axis and its environs.
Besides, the statement noted that “of recent, there has been serious security concerns in Arepo, Warewa and its environs, especially the high incidents of militant activities in Arepo that often take the form of pipeline vandalisation, kidnappings, robbery and rapes which call for robust proactive security measures beyond current reactive measures often embarked upon by a regular police division”.
It further stated that “of recent, the militants have extended their activities beyond Warewa and Arepo to include OPIC, Isheri and environs.
Not only that, the communities also observed that citing an Area Command at Warewa will check “activities of dare-devil criminals who often attack motorists at night along the long bridge between Kara in OPIC area and Warewa”. It disclosed that these attacks have escalated recently as they have become a weekly and almost daily occurrences. All of these, the statement noted requires the strategic attention of the police high command in Nigeria as the regular police division cannot cope with the myriads of security challenges.
The communities also noted that “already, the strategic location of Warewa Police Division and the fact that it is about the only police division on that axis that still have large undeveloped plots of lands running into acres make it a suitable zone for the location of a police area command”. While commending the Ogun state Police Command in curtailing criminal activities in Warewa and Arepo axis, they stated that the police effort will yield more fruitful results if an area command is sited in Warewa.
They also expressed confidence in the leadership of Ogun state Police Command as they called on the state government to urgently provide the police officers in the state with requisite security equipments as well as funds so as to empower the police to fight crimes in the state.
Stakeholders in communities suggested that Governor Ibikunle Amosun should urgently set up a security Trust Fund like its counterparts in Lagos so as to mobilize corporate bodies, individuals and institutions in the state to contribute towards funding the police in the state.
