Oyo Police restore calm in the Strabag area of Ojoo after two deaths and unrest triggered by a suspected robbery incident.
The Oyo State Police Command has warned residents against taking the law into their own hands following a deadly mob action that sparked unrest in the Strabag area of Ojoo, Ibadan.
The command said normalcy has been restored after a coordinated security operation involving the police, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, the command confirmed the arrest of four suspects, who have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, for further investigation.
According to the police, the incident began around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday when four young men arrived at a Point of Sale (POS) outlet in a commercial tricycle to buy mobile data. During the transaction, they allegedly attempted to rob the operator of his mobile phone. The victim raised an alarm, leading residents to apprehend one of the suspects, identified as Abeeb Olajide, while the others fled.
Olajide was allegedly beaten by the mob before police officers rescued him and rushed him to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
The command said the incident triggered tension in the community, leading to reprisals and a breakdown of law and order. Another resident, Kamorudeen Abdulrasheed, also died from injuries allegedly sustained during the unrest, while six makeshift shops containing condemned plastic materials were destroyed by fire before firefighters brought the blaze under control.
The police condemned jungle justice, urging residents to hand over suspects to law enforcement agencies for proper investigation and prosecution instead of resorting to violence.
The command also appealed to community leaders and residents not to allow criminal elements to exploit the incident to fuel ethnic or communal conflict, assuring the public that adequate security has been deployed across the affected area and other parts of Ibadan.
Police further pledged to ensure that everyone found culpable in connection with the incident is brought to justice.