Soji Ajibola and Hammed Salaudeen
Oyo Police Command has beefed up security around the Moniya community in Akinyele local government area, Ibadan after the death of its personnel in the state.
According to the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso “The state police command, while investigating the circumstances that led to the demise of one of its officers, is also mindful about the safety and well-being of residents within and outside the location of the incident.
“Residents witnessed a strategic increase in deployment of operational assets to forestall breakdown of law and order and to prevent hoodlums from establishing dominance.
“The confidence building patrols and increased policing visibility was designed to further boost the confidence of residents to go about their lawful businesses without fear of molestation or harassment.”
Osifeso, therefore, assured that updates would be provided accordingly.
Residents of the community are now living in fear over the killing of the police officer by the suspected internet fraudsters otherwise known as ‘Yahoo Boys’ on Tuesday.
The residents alleged that there was an indiscriminate firing of tear gas canisters by the policemen who are on security patrol of the area but this has been denied by the State Police Command.
There are noticeable roadblocks at strategic locations in the area which are aimed at wading off the invaders from unleashing a reign of terror on the people in the area.
The heavy presence of the police and the roadblocks mounted in some areas were misconstrued by the residents who were said to be forced indoors over anticipated fear of reprisal attacks.
At Moniya junction, Moniya garage and the entrance of Oja Agbe, it was observed that police used different items such as chairs, tables, used tyres and planks to block roads.
Eyewitnesses told Tribune Online that, marketers at Oja Agbe, Moniya garage and Moniya butchers market were dispersed with the claims by police searching for the killers of one of them.
One of the eyewitnesses, Abimbola said, “The police have been terrorizing us (residents) and motorists with a gun and tear gas canister shots.”
The incident also affected the movements of the candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations(UTME) at a nearby CBT centre, an Islamic mission primary school in the area.
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