As part of a proactive strategy to eliminate criminal hideouts and ensure commuter safety, the Ogun Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, has deployed a specialized intervention squad to end the spate of kidnapping and other criminalities that have made the Sagamu–Ijebu Ode–Benin Expressway unsafe for motorists in the country.
To aid their operations, the special squad would be erecting an outpost to aid intelligence gathering on the kidnappers mode of operations along the road.
The makeshift post, reinforced with sandbags and strategically located before Odogbolu near Celplas Industry, Mikano Generator, and Ladgroup Company, aims to neutralize threats following heightened kidnapping activity.
The deployment of the new makeshift post builds on an earlier surveillance operation where Ogunlowo identified and blocked escape routes used by kidnappers, erecting barriers to seal off footpaths.
In addition to the barriers built, a Quick Intervention Squad, supported by Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) patrols at the Sagamu Interchange, has also been permanently deployed to reinforce the area.
Additional security includes OP MESA points on the Long Bridge and shed posts along the Ijebu Ode–Sagamu Highway.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, the command emphasized its focus on rooting out crime.
Odutola said, “On the 19th of March , 2025, CP Ogunlowo PhD personally inspected the security operations at the newly established intervention post, strategically located before Odogbolu in between Celplas Industry, Mikano Generator and Ladgroup Company on the stretch of the road. This proactive security initiative follows an earlier surveillance operation conducted on February 27, 2025, during which the Commissioner of Police identified and blocked escape routes frequently used by kidnappers.”.
She added, “The outpost serves as a rapid response center for distress calls from the Ijebu Ode, Sagamu, and Owode Egba Area Commands, as well as commuters who require emergency assistance.”
The police urge the public to report suspicious activities to the necessary authorities, reinforcing their commitment to a crime-free expressway through strategic deployments and access control measures.
