Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Joe Nwachuwu Enwonwu on Wednesday revealed that six policemen were killed and exhibit room housing police arms and ammunition was looted by hoodlums who mingled with #EndSARS protesters.
According to him, Six police officers were gruesomely murdered, five divisional headquarters, police patrol vehicles were burnt down and exhibits looted in the exhibits room with many police arms and ammunition carted away due to activities of criminal elements who capitalized on the protest to perpetrate heinous crimes”.
Enwonwu, who bemoaned the killing of policemen, said some of them were roasted like goats for committing no offence against their attackers.
Parading suspects at a press briefing in Ibadan said no fewer than nine suspected arsonists and looters for allegedly attacking the divisional police headquarters, Iseyin on Thursday 22, October 2020 and thereafter setting the station ablaze under the pretext of #EndSARS protests that lingered for so many days”.
“A team of policemen attached to the unit moved swiftly to the area and in the process, nine of the arsonists and criminal looters were arrested in connection with the crimes, while some exhibits were recovered from them.
“Upon interrogations, the suspects confessed to the crime and also gave useful information that will lead to the arrest of other hoodlums who participated in criminal activities. Effort is on to arrest other fleeing suspects.”
Those arrested in connection with arson and looting in Iseyin, Iseyin Local Government Area of the state are Taoreed Hamsat,26yrs, Tajudeen Ibrahim,40yrs, Moshood Fatai, 39yrs, Musibau Abubakar, 21yrs; Sikiru Aliu, 25yrs; Fasasi Fatai, 24yrs; Isiaka Olaniyi, 32yrs; Raheem Toheeb, 28yrs and Adeleke Akeem, 42yrs.
The police said the items recovered from them include one generator set, nine wall clock belonging to the division, one Bajaj motorcycle, one hero 125 motorcycles and one TVS motorcycle with registration number DGB 215QK
The police boss also six persons, who were arrested in Ogbomoso during the EndSARS violence in the town, had been charged to court.
He said the police were on the trail of more of those who looted, killed, and committed arson in the state, saying they would be arrested very soon.
Enwonwu therefore commended some residents of the state for warding off arsonists who attempted to burn down police stations in their areas.
