The Oyo State Police Command has warned residents against taking the law into their own hands after a mob attack over an alleged robbery attempt left two persons dead and triggered unrest in the Strabag area of Ojoo, Ibadan.
The command said four suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident, while security had been reinforced in the area to forestall further violence.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, the command said normalcy had been restored following a joint security operation involving the police, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun.
According to the police, the incident occurred at about 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday when four young men allegedly arrived at a Point of Sale (POS) outlet in the Strabag area aboard a commercial tricycle to purchase mobile data.
The command said the suspects allegedly attempted to rob the POS operator of his mobile phone during the transaction.
“The victim raised the alarm, attracting members of the public, who apprehended one of the suspects identified as Abeeb Olajide, while the other three escaped,” the statement said.
The police said the suspect was brutally assaulted by the mob before officers rescued him and rushed him to a hospital, where he later died while receiving treatment.
The command added that the incident sparked tension in the community as some aggrieved groups mobilised for reprisals, leading to a breakdown of law and order.
It disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Johnson Olugbenga, immediately directed the deployment of tactical and operational teams to the area, with support from other security agencies, to restore peace and prevent the violence from escalating.
The police also confirmed the death of another resident, Kamorudeen Abdulrasheed, who allegedly sustained fatal injuries during the disturbance.
It said investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding his death.
The unrest also resulted in the destruction of property, with six makeshift shops containing condemned plastic materials set ablaze before personnel of the Oyo State Fire Service extinguished the fire.
The command said four persons arrested over the incident had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Condemning jungle justice, the police urged residents to hand over criminal suspects to law enforcement agencies instead of resorting to mob action.
“While acknowledging the right of citizens to report crimes and assist law enforcement, suspects should always be handed over to the police for lawful investigation and prosecution,” the statement read.
The command also appealed to community leaders, youth groups and other stakeholders to discourage acts capable of igniting ethnic or communal violence, assuring residents that adequate security had been deployed across the affected community and other strategic locations within the Ibadan metropolis.
The police reaffirmed their commitment to protecting lives and property, promising that everyone found culpable in connection with the incident would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
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