Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has expressed concern that riverine areas in the state are vulnerable to attacks and kidnapping.
Abiodun while pointing out those areas contiguous with the Niger Delta, said residents of the region had suffered serial attacks.
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The governor said plans were underway by his administration to have a base of Nigeria Air Force and a training school in the state.
Abiodun spoke when he received the Flag Officer Commanding(FOC), Western Naval Command; Rear Admiral Jason Gbassa, at his Oke Mosan office, Abeokuta, on Tuesday.
The governor said his administration was working to build a port in the riverine area as well as bring investment to the state through the area, urging the naval command to come to the aid of the state and help put a stop to attacks emanating from riverine areas.
“Every now and then, our people in the region are attacked from the waters and at times kidnapped. We’ve been dealing with that but can’t do it alone.
“I will like to sit down with you on how best we can collaborate in the provision of security for that riverine area. It is one of the areas that we are looking to bring investment to,” he said.
The governor who donated a pickup truck to the naval command and a car to the Nigeria Navy Secondary School, Abeokuta, equally promised to look at the issue of infrastructure in the school.
In his remarks, Gbassa, while noting that the objective of the OP WATSE was pipeline protection, said the scope of the operation was reviewed to cover the entirety of the South West region and was renamed the Joint Taskforce, Operational WATSE, South West Region.
On the Tongeji oil-rich area, the Flag Officer said the command had a deployment of its men in the area and presently working towards scaling up its presence by physically setting up an outpost.
He added that with the presence of the command in the area, it would be difficult for any country to lay claim to the island.
