10th March, 2021
By Jethro Ibileke/Benin
Newly deployed Commissioner of Police to Edo state, Mr. Philip Ogbadu, has boasted that victims of kidnapping in the state will henceforth be rescued withing four hours.
Ogbadu also vowed to crush all forms of criminality in the state.
Ogbadu made the vow on Tuesday in Benin, when he paid a courtesy visit to the State Council Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He insisted that there is no way a person could be kidnapped for weeks without being rescued.
He disclosed that he has gone to the length and breadth of the state to strengthen security, and have identified the flash points for kidnapping.
According to him, “You cannot kidnap anybody in this state and keep him or her for four hours, if you keep the person for more than that, we will catch you and that is what we are working towards.
“You cannot just come and pick somebody as if he is a fowl and if we catch you, woe betides you and that is what we are aiming at.
“The bad sides that have been giving us bad names, we are keeping eyes on them; Benin-Auchi road, around Ehor, Ahor and other areas, we are putting our men on the alert so that whatever happens there, our men will be on ground.
“We have traveled all the way to Igarra, Ibillo, we have gone to Agenebode, we have gone all the way to Akure road, there is no part of the state that we have not gone to, and thank God for the Governor we have who is always there in the time of distress, he has established a command and control centre at the Government House from which we get information.”
The CP noted that some of the criminals are from other states but hopes to collaborate with sister security agencies and vigilante groups, to curb crimes.
“The way they terrorise people in the bushes in some states, they can’t do that here because we are working with the vigilantes so there is synergy both with the military, the SSS, NSCDC, FRSC, the hunters. We share information, the police only coordinate as the arrowhead because of the spread.
Chairman of the State Council of NUJ, Sir Roland Osakue, who received the CP and his management team, assured him of maximum cooperation from journalists across the state.