Oyo state is counting losses following the destruction of public buildings and killing of security personnel by protesters across the state. BAYO AGBOOLA reports from Ibadan.
The #EndSARS protests, no doubt, will for long be remembered by some Nigerians especially in some parts of Oyo state precisely in Ibadan, Iseyin and Ogbomoso areas of the state. This is going by the magnitude of negative effects among others, that it had on those cities. No thanks to the impacts of suspected hoodlums presently taking opportunity of the situation to evoke more hardships on innocent souls.
Its genesis
It all started in Ogbomoso on October 9 when the EndSARS protest by the youths in the town turned bloody leading to the death one of the protesters Jimoh Isiaka who was shot dead allegedly by the police.
The death of Isiaka led to further protests in Ogbomoso the following Sunday, October 10 during which the youths carried the dead bodies of two other protesters reportedly shot dead by the police. Later, the palace of the Soun of Ogbomoso was attacked by suspected hoodlums that hijacked the protest from genuine EndSARS protesting youths.
Few days after, the violence arising from the protests shifted to Ojoo area of Ibadan resulting in the death of about five people including two policemen and other protesters with many others injured.
According to the state commissioner of police, CP Joe Nwachukwu Enwonwu in a statement, he said the attack on the Ojoo Police station was by suspected hardened criminals who killed two policemen with two others still missing and some AK 47 riffles carted away. He said, “The hardened criminals unleashed mayhem on police personnel at Ojoo Divisional Police Headquarters, Ojoo Ibadan at about 1300hrs, set the station ablaze and burnt it down while two policemen were killed and two others still missing.
“The burning of the police station was premeditated as police personnel did not have any altercation with the protesters neither were they disturbed in anyway. Some of the protesters have ulterior motives and capitalised on the opportunity of the protests to carry out their evil intentions leading to sordid activities of bandits/hardened criminals who carried out coordinated attacks on law abiding police officers/innocent citizens and send them to their early graves.”
Again on Thursday October 22, there was another pandemonium at the Iwo road area of Oyo state in a bloody clash between suspected hoodlums and three policemen attached to the Gbagi Police Station after which two of the policemen were roasted to death with there vehicle burnt to ashes.
The report has it that there was pandemonium in Ibadan on Thursday as two policemen were on morning burnt to death with their patrol vehicle by suspected hoodlums at Iwo-road area of the town.
Also same Thursday, two police stations at Akobo and Gbagi areas of Ibadan as well as another one in Iseyin town were attacked and razed by the suspected hoodlums that have hijacked the protest from the genuine EndSARS protesters.
Disclaimer
Apparently sensing the dangers associated with the reported hijack of the protest, a coalition under the auspices of Oyo Youths campaigning against bad governance on Wednesday announced immediate suspension of the EndSARS protest to ensure proper coordination of the young people.
According to the group in a communique by its convener, Kunle Odujare, “Oyo youths are responsible and would ensure that protesters henceforth will be safe as measures are being put in place to protect lives of Nigerians and prevent further breakdown of law and order. He said that youths in the pacesetter state would ensure that the process of expressing their minds on the need for police reforms, bad governance, infrastructral development among others will be maturely and decently communicated without crisis or mayhem in the state.
The youths in their communique advised those blocking roads especially across Ibadan not to embark on such anymore but coordinatedly protest without making lives miserable for the people, saying, “Henceforth, announcements will be made on location of protest in the state but has adopted Challenge, Iwo Road and Secretariat as the point for a peaceful protest.” He emphasised that in the meantime, all protest has been suspended to allow the youths restrategise.
Makinde’s appeal that never matters
Governor Seyi Makinde while addressing the protesters at Testing Ground area of Ibadan to douse the tension between the youths and policemen at the Agodi Area Command cautioned the youths against allowing those he called ‘some other elements’ from hijacking the protest from them, vowing that his government will continue to do what is necessary to secure the lives and property of the residents of the state.
“Please, don’t allow some other elements to hijack this protest from you. Don’t destroy anybody’s property. Don’t destroy anything. I want to urge you, once again, my life is not worth more than your life. I don’t want anybody’s life to be wasted. I have heard what you all said. I am going to meet with the commissioner of police now, but, in the meantime, my people will wait here in this school to collect the list of those who were affected; those whose houses were burnt, those whose property were destroyed. Even if you are part of those whose cars were set ablaze, write down your name too,” he said.
The governor added, “Let me ask you some questions; are you the ones that installed this government? Are you assured that this government will always do what is right for you? Since you installed this government, I want to assure you that we will do what is necessary for you. I want you to trust me on this. Whatever affects the eyes equally affects the nose. In other words, whatever affects you also affects me. So, I urge you to be peaceful, because I don’t want this to escalate beyond this point. Please, don’t allow some other elements to hijack this protest from you. Don’t destroy anybody’s property. Don’t destroy anything.”
Condemning the violent dimension being introduced to the EndSARS protest, Governor Makinde urged everyone to be calm saying, “Please, there must not be violence. We are all Nigerians. So, let us go back and be calm. Among you, there are governors. There are presidents. So, let us go back home.”Amidst these caution , advice and warning, the hoodlums with their rampaging mood in some parts of Ibadan looted and carted away items from shops, markets, snatching phones, money as well as mounting barricades on major roads extorting money.
The gory aspect of the hijack of the EndSARS protest by the hoodlums was the continuous attack on police stations which some people said were ploy by the criminal elements in the society to weaken the force in the state in order to pave way for their plans to continue with their criminal activities unchalleged by the security agencies particularly the police.
But thanks to the Oyo state joint security outfit, Operation Burst for always rising to the security challenges in Ibadan by frustrating the attempts by the hoodlums at Ogunpa, Agbeni, Okepadre, Iwo road, Ojoo, Agugu, and other parts of Ibadan.
The expectation presently in Oyo state is that the protesting youths should give peace a chance and allow the security agencies under the umbrella of Operation Burst to restore the much needed peace and stability to the nooks and crannies of the state.
