Pandemonium broke out on Tuesday as suspected hoodlums claiming to be #EndSARS protesters invaded Ojoo police station in Ibadan, Oyo State, resulting in the death of two policemen and two civilians, while two other policemen are missing.
Reporters At Large learnt that trouble started when the protesters started sthrowing bottles, stones and other dangerous objects at the police station.
This was said to have made the police to fire warning shots, in line with the rules guarding the use of firearms.
This had lasted for about an hour, making residents and those passing by to scamper to safety.
Angered by the shooting, the hoodlums reportedly set fire on the police station, burning all cars within and outside the station.
In the process, two policemen and two civilians lost their lives, while two other policemen had been declared missing.
The hoodlums, posing as protesters, were also said to have made away with AK47 rifles stolen from the station.
In a statement signed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Gbenga Fadeyi, he said that the state Commissioner of Police, Joe Nwachukwu Enwonwu, was saddened by the “dastardly act of disgruntled/hardened criminals who have hijacked the EndSARS protests to unleash mayhem on police personnel at Ojoo Divisional Headquarters today at about 1:00p.m.,set the station ablaze while two policemen were killed and two others still missing.”
Enwonwu, in the statement, said that the burning of the police station was premeditated, as police personnel did not interfere with the actions of the protesters.
The police commissioner said that it was evident that “some of the protesters had ulterior motives, and capitalised on the opportunity of protests to carry out their evil intentions, leading to sordid activities of bandits/hardened criminals carrying out coordinated attacks on law-abiding police officers/innocent citizens and sending them to their early graves.”
He further disclosed that due to the attacks, some of AK-47 rifles were still missing, imploring the people to be vigilant.
“Please report any individual or group who are not police officers/military personnel but seen with such rifles to the nearest police station, Enwonwu advised.
He charged residents to be law-abiding and asked parents and guardians to warn their children and wards of the impending danger in being part of intended criminality by hoodlums.
The police commissioner further said that efforts were on to restore the situation to normal, as Operation Burst’s personnel were complementing police efforts, especially the Police Mobile Force (PMF), to prevent further attacks.
