THE Oyo State Police Command has paraded 21 suspects in connection with the invasion of the Oyo Government Secretariat on Saturday, April 13.
The state commissioner of Police, Adebola Hamzat, told journalists on Monday, April 15, that the suspects would be charged with treasonable felony and terrorism.
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According to the commissioner, the command received information on Saturday that some people dressed in military camouflage, armed with pump-action semi-automatic rifles, and riding on motorcycles were sighted moving into the main city from the Olomi axis of Ibadan, the state capital.
Hamzat said the ‘hoodlums’, later identified as members of the Yoruba Nation Agitation Group, were trailed to the State Secretariat.
They spread from the Flyover to within the premises of the Governor’s Office and hoisted their flag at the House of Assembly, proclaiming the creation of a “Democratic Republic of the Yoruba.
“With Police re-inforcement, the miscreants were warned to dispatch. The agitators turned violent and opened fire on the Police, and a detachment of Amotekun corps.
“The Police responded and were joined by Operation Burst Patrol teams and Personnel of other security agencies, who suppressed the treason and dealt with the agitators in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
“A Total of 21 suspects were arrested, seven rifles made up of five English Pump Action semi-automatic rifles, two wooden double-barreled guns and other items of exhibits as displayed were recovered,” Hamzat stated.
While declaring the act criminal, unpatriotic, and a clear case of treasonable felony and terrorism, the commissioner reassured the people of the state that the Police remained unwavering in their commitment to protecting lives and property.
He added that the continued existence of Nigeria as a sovereign, indivisible entity must be sustained.
He also assured the state residents that the command’s security architecture had been reviewed to enable it to address present-day realities.
The suspects were paraded alongside seized exhibits such as guns, ammunition, plaques with the Yoruba nation insignia, cutlasses, walkie-talkies, and other communication gadgets.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance