From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Ngozi Onadeko, yesterday, paid an unscheduled visit to the flashpoints on the popular Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for an on-the-spot assessment of kidnapping situation.
The three flashpoints are Ogunmakin, Onigaari and Ishara all in the Ogun State axis of the highway. Three victims were kidnapped on the highway on Sunday by gunmen said to have been dressed in military camouflage.
The flashpoints have been in the news and consistently in the past few days.
The police boss, who was at Onigaari and Ogunmakin told travellers to remain calm and not entertain any fear as security has been beefed up to ensure safety of lives and property.
Heavily armed police officers had been stationed at the flashpoints and other strategic locations prior to the arrival of the commissioner of police.
Onadeko, who assured Nigerians that the exercise would not be a one-off show, called for calm, especially as many travellers are very apprehensive following the reports of kidnapping on the highway.
She emphasised that the joint patrol between Ogun and Oyo states police commands has led to the combing of the bushes in the vicinity of the flashpoints, adding that investigations were ongoing to get to the roots of the matter and stop kidnapping in the axis and other places.
Onadeko, however, cautioned against over-speculations, saying it must be stopped by the people and the media.