The Oyo State Police Command has dismissed as untrue reports that 200 houses were razed and 29 vehicles burnt in a midnight attack by hoodlums in parts of Ibadan, the state capital.
A statement by Olugbenga Fadeyi, the Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State admitted that there were some incidents that resulted in the looting of a house and two shops by hoodlums who set up bonfires and came out with dangerous weapons, stressing, however, that a combination of Police and Amotekun patrols have dislodged the hoodlums.
According to him, routine patrols have been intensified while the Police are on the trail of the hoodlums to get them arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
Full text of the statement reads:
RE: OVER 200 HOUSES RAZED, 29 VEHICLES BURNT IN MIDNIGHT ATTACK
The attention of the Oyo State Police Command has been called to the news circulating in a section of the media with the above headline.
The true position of this is that no such incident happened and no such magnitude of houses and cars were burnt at Odo-Osun/Ita bale/Aderogba areas of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
What really happened was that hoodlums from these areas came out in the early hours of 29/01/2021, in their usual manner, with dangerous weapons to loot shops and set up bonfires. A house and about two shops were looted. But the swift response of Police patrol teams doused tension and the hoodlums were dislodged.
Routine patrols were intensified to forestall further attacks and lootings. Sequel to this, at about 2015 hrs, the hoodlums from Aderogba area came out again and attempted to vandalize and loot shops at Beyerunka/Ogbori Efon areas. Police patrol teams and those of Amotekun were drafted to the area. During a hot chase by the teams, a cut-to-size dane gun was recovered from one of the hoodlums while bonfires set up were put out.
The hoodlums thereafter fled the scene.
Constant routine patrols have been intensified in those areas and normalcy has been restored. The Police are on the trail of these hoodlums to get them arrested and carry out prosecution accordingly.
Olugbenga Fadeyi
Police Public Relation Officer, Oyo State.
