Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun delivered a defiant message to criminal networks operating in Nigeria’s industrial heartland on Friday, announcing the arrest of four additional suspects connected to last month’s kidnapping of seven students from Gateway ICT Polytechnic in Saapade. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony for the newly completed 3.3 kilometre Adesan Road in Mowe, the governor declared that his administration had achieved a decisive victory against organized crime while reaffirming the state’s commitment to becoming an inhospitable environment for kidnappers and other criminals.
Authorities successfully rescued all seven students alive following a coordinated operation involving multiple security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Ogun State Security Network Agency known as Amotekun Corps, as well as local hunters and vigilante groups. Two members of the kidnapping gang were initially apprehended on Thursday during the rescue operation itself. The governor credited federal support from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Inspector General of Police, and the Director General of the DSS as instrumental in the successful outcome, noting that security teams worked around the clock throughout the ordeal.
Governor Abiodun expressed gratitude to student organizations including the National Association of Nigerian Students and the National Association of Ogun State Students for their patience and cooperation during the crisis. He emphasized that remaining suspects are still being pursued and will face arrest. “Those who come here to test our resolve will be tracked down, smoked out, arrested, and made to face the full weight of the law,” the governor stated, positioning Ogun State as a jurisdiction with zero tolerance for criminal activity. His remarks underscore growing concerns about kidnapping syndicates targeting educational institutions across southwestern Nigeria.
Ogun State’s strategic importance as Nigeria’s gateway and industrial capital makes security a paramount concern for economic development and investor confidence. Located between Lagos and the nation’s interior, the state hosts numerous manufacturing facilities, educational institutions, and residential estates serving commuters to the commercial capital. Criminal activity in border areas like Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, where the kidnapping occurred, threatens not only local communities but also the broader economic ecosystem that depends on safe transit and secure operations.
Beyond security announcements, Governor Abiodun used the Adesan Road commissioning to highlight his administration’s infrastructure record since taking office in May 2019. He disclosed that 42 roads have been constructed or reconstructed across Ogun Central Senatorial District alone, with 12 of those projects located specifically in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area. Statewide, approximately 1,600 kilometres of roads have been completed across all three senatorial districts. Completed projects in the area include the Abeokuta to Sagamu Interce Road, Panseke to Adigbe Road, Journalists’ Estate Road in Arepo, and the revived Mowe to Ofada Road, among others.
As the current administration approaches its conclusion, Governor Abiodun pledged that additional road projects remain in the pipeline for Obafemi Owode, including infrastructure linking Magboro that will soon be commissioned. He described the local government as both a border area and the food basket of Ogun State, home to the cultivation and processing of the renowned Ofada rice, justifying continued investment in transportation networks to support population growth and economic expansion. Whether the dual focus on security crackdowns and infrastructure development will be sufficient to deter future criminal activity remains to be seen, but authorities appear committed to demonstrating that kidnapping operations will meet swift and comprehensive responses from law enforcement partnerships spanning local, state, and federal levels.
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