…..Schools To Be Closed From Wednesday
Two people have been reportedly shot dead in Ojoo area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Integrity Reporters who monitored the protests in Ibadan investigation revealed that the two victims were shot dead by Nigeria Police Force officers who were attached to Ojoo Police Station.
Investigation showed that the boys were shot when the protesters blocked the major roads linking to Ojoo and the police in an attempt to disperse the protesters, fired a shot and the bullet hit two people which led to their death.
As at the time of filling these report, there was unrest at the Ojoo roundabout as people are shouting and singing various anti-government songs.
The protesters refused to carry the corpses of the victims on the ground asking the police to come and take their corpses.
All efforts to get the reaction of the State Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), SP Olugbenga Fadeyi proved abortive.
Broadcast by His Excellecy, Seyi Makinde,the Executive Governor of Oyo State on the End SARS Protests in Oyo State on October 20, 2020*
My Dear People of Oyo State,
I address you at this time to talk about some of the issues that have been thrown up by the End SARS protests in Oyo State. I have always said that peaceful protests are an important part of our democratic process, and no one should be harassed or brutalised for protesting. For this reason, we deployed members of Operation Burst to protect protesters. And we are happy to report that there have been no cases of disruptions of protest grounds in Oyo State since they started work.
However, the past two days have seen a new dimension to the ongoing protests. Thugs and hoodlums have taken advantage of the situation to perpetrate uncivil acts and harass citizens who are going about their day-to-day activities. Some thugs are going as far as forcing people who have businesses open to close shop and join in the protests. We know these are criminal elements. And so, as a state, we must act to protect the citizenry.
Therefore, we are deploying members of Operation Burst to various hotspots in Ibadan to arrest the situation and restore normalcy. The members of the team will continue to protect genuine protesters and their right to protest. But we can not allow persons with ulterior motives to hijack the protests.
We remain committed to the process of meeting the demands of these protests. Already, as promised, the Director of Public Prosecution, Ministry of Justice, Oyo State, has withdrawn cases against End SARS protesters, and those in custody have been released.
Also, the Oyo State Government has set up platforms for reporting past and present incidents of police brutality and injustice. This will naturally pave the way for the next steps in our quest to get justice for the victims. I urge the good people of Oyo State to trust the process that we have set up and rest assured that every case will be pursued to a logical conclusion.
I have directed that all schools in Ibadan, should be closed from tomorrow, Wednesday, October 21 2020 for the rest of this week. The situation will be reviewed on Friday, October 23 2020, and then further directives will be given.
Please call 615 should anyone attempt to disrupt your legitimate business activities.
We will continue to seek ways to engage with peaceful protesters. Our plan is that in the shortest possible time, we can finally say the days of large-scale and wanton police brutality and injustice is a thing of the past. Let me also use this opportunity to call on members of the Nigeria Police Force to remain professional in the discharge of their duties as they will be held responsible for their actions.
Good bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
God bless Oyo State.
