Mr Adebowale Lawal, the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State, has warned residents and community leaders against harbouring criminals, saying anyone found culpable will face the full weight of the law.
Lawal gave the warning on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure.
He reiterated the commitment of the command to arrest and prosecute anyone caught harbouring criminals in the state.
The commissioner of police, while noting that the year 2025 was relatively peaceful in the state, assured that 2026 would not be better with the collaboration of other sister security agencies.
“It behooves people living in the border communities to report any suspicious people or strange faces coming to their communities to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.
“Be on alert and keep us posted, especially at the border communities, so that we’ll be able to profile those coming in.
“Yes, every citizen has freedom of movement in Nigeria, but then there is a limit to all those rights.
“You have freedom of movement, but we need to know your mission for coming here, we need to know what you are bringing in.
“That is why all our border towns are well fortified, and we are not doing it alone. We’re doing it in conjunction with the military and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC),” he said.
Lawal said that the command had received additional manpower with 36 cadet officers passed out recently from the Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun’s mop-up operational activities.
He said that the additional Armoured Personnel Carriers received had been deployed to Ondo North Senatorial District to combat crime in the area.
The commissioner of police, however, promised to arrest the attackers of the Ipele Community, which happened on the eve of the new year, when a Divisional Police Station was burnt down.
Lawal, who said that no arrest had been made since the incident happened, reiterated that the command was working technically and through intelligence gathering to arrest the perpetrators.
He explained that it was the quick response and combined teams of the police, military, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, non-state actors, Amotekun Corps, local vigilante, hunters, and Nigeria Forest Guards that saved the situation.
“It would have been worse, but we thank God no life was lost in spite of their preparation toward the attack, because they came in seven motorcycles and used five dynamites.
“I want to assure that we are on their trail. Like I always say, nobody will come to Ondo State to commit a crime and go scot-free. We’ll always get them arrested,” he said.
He, therefore, appreciated the Inspector-General of Police and Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa for their support on the command’s operational activities, adding that the command had strengthened its relationship with stakeholders in crime fighting.
