Ondo Police Establish Tactical Base In Ilu-Abo To Tackle Kidnapping

The Ondo State Police Command has intensified efforts to combat kidnapping and other violent crimes with the establishment of a tactical team base in Ilu-Abo community.

The move, ordered by the Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, followed growing security concerns in the Ilu-Abo, Ayede, and Ogbese axis and surrounding communities. The police said the deployment is part of proactive strategies aimed at strengthening security presence, deterring criminal activities, and ensuring a swift response to threats in the area.
The development was disclosed on Tuesday when the police commissioner visited Ilu-Abo community in Ondo State to assess the security situation and address protesters who had raised concerns over recent incidents of kidnapping.
During the engagement with community leaders and residents, Lawal acknowledged the grievances of the protesters and assured them that the command was already taking steps to address the prevailing security challenges. He urged the protesters to remain calm and law-abiding, while reiterating that the police and other security agencies were working to restore normalcy and guarantee the safety of residents.
According to the police, the newly created tactical base will be manned by specially trained operatives drawn from elite units of the command, including anti-kidnapping squads and other tactical formations.
The operatives are expected to operate round the clock, carrying out intensive patrols, surveillance operations, intelligence gathering, and coordinated security operations across Ilu-Abo, Ayede, Ogbese, and neighbouring communities.
The police command also disclosed that joint security operations have been intensified in the affected areas, including stop-and-search exercises, forest combing operations, and intelligence-led raids targeting criminal hideouts and suspected kidnapping networks operating within forested and boundary communities.
These operations, the command said, are aimed at dismantling criminal syndicates and preventing criminals from using the terrain as safe havens.
Lawal further directed all Divisional Police Officers within the affected areas and neighbouring divisions to collaborate closely with the tactical team, as well as local vigilantes, hunters, and other community-based security stakeholders to strengthen intelligence sharing and ensure a prompt response to security threats.
The police also appealed to residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that could aid ongoing operations, assuring the public that all information received would be treated with utmost confidentiality.
The command emphasized that kidnapping and other violent crimes would not be tolerated in any part of the state, noting that decisive actions would continue to be taken to bring perpetrators to justice.