By Residents of Jobele Community in Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State on Tuesday, March 10, stormed the Ibadan–Oyo Expressway following rumours that the police had released a suspected kidnapper arrested and handed over to them by the community.
AfrikTimes gathered that a student of the Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, was attacked on Monday by suspected kidnappers and was seriously wounded. He was later rushed to the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital for medical attention.
Following the attack, members of the community heightened their vigilance, which reportedly led to the arrest of a suspected kidnapper who was allegedly found with weapons.
After restraining him, the residents handed the suspect over to the police. However, the community later received reports that the suspect had been released by the police before Tuesday daybreak and had disappeared.
The report angered residents of the community, prompting them to stage a protest on the Ibadan–Oyo Expressway, where they demanded improved security and transparency from the police. The protest reportedly blocked the highway and caused heavy gridlock for motorists.
Police Pledge Thorough Investigation
In a statement released later in the day, the Oyo State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Alayande Olayinka, said the Commissioner of Police had ordered a thorough investigation into the allegations levelled against operatives at the Jobele Division, describing the act as “unprofessional conduct.”
According to the statement, the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) who led the patrol team involved and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) have been issued queries, while the Inspector concerned has been detained pending the outcome of the investigation.
“The Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Police Command, has ordered a thorough investigation into the allegation of unprofessional conduct by operatives of the Jobele Division, which reportedly resulted in the protest witnessed earlier today.
“In line with the directive of the Commissioner of Police, the ASP who led the patrol team involved and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) have been issued queries respectively, while the Inspector concerned has been defaulted and detained pending the outcome of the investigation.
“The investigation has since commenced in accordance with established rules, regulations and the law to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident and ensure appropriate disciplinary actions where necessary,” DSP Alayande said.
As of the time of writing this report, AfrikTimes gathered that the protest has stopped.
However, in a conversation with a resident, Afolabi Basheet Danjuma, he disclosed that while the protest has stopped, there are still indications for the protest to rise again if the arrested suspected kidnapper is not provided to the public.
“Yes, all the youth and community are waiting for the outcome of the meeting with the Area Commander, that if they don’t provide the kidnapper that was released by the police, the protest will rise up again,” he noted.
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