Stanley Ihedigbo
At least 15 persons have been arrested for allegedly attacking
Ejigbo Police Station on Saturday night and destroying seven vehicles.
Among the vehicles damaged are two police operational vans,
including that of Response Rapid Squad (RRS).
The attack on the police station was said to have been carried out
by some northern commercial cyclists operating at the Ejigbo axis of the state.
It
was gathered that after the attack, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in
charge of Ejigbo Police Station, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Olabisi Okuwobi, led policemen to go after the attackers.
At least 15 among them were arrested.
Trouble was said to have started after some group of cyclists,
alleging that an RRS van knocked down their member, pursued the police van
right into Ejigbo Station and started destroying vehicles that were parked at
the station. The men were also alleged to have further tried to invade the
station, but the DPO, with her men repelled them.
The cyclists were further said to have chased the RRS men all the
way from Ikotun-Ejigbo Road, down to Ejigbo Police Station. The incident
occurred at about 11pm.
A police source said: “The incident happened around 11pm on Saturday.
We were already handing over reports to the next shift when three RSS
operatives ran into our station, calling for help.”
The source continue: “Before the RRS operatives could explain what
was going on, we started hearing sounds of people smashing vehicles. We were
able to moblise and prevented the attackers from gaining access into the
station. They, however, destroyed vehicles parked outside, including vehicles
of policemen. Our DPO moblised policemen and went after them. She led policemen
right into the hideout of the attackers.”
Okuwobi alerted the Seriki of Ejigbo, who also assisted the police
in making further arrest. The cyclist, who was alleged to have been knocked
down by the RRS van, was also arrested.
“Before the arrest of the suspects, we heard that the cyclist, who
was knocked down was in hospital, receiving treatment for injury sustained. But
we found find him in a mechanical workshop around the area, hiding,” said the
police source.
The RRS men, however, had insisted that they didn’t knock down
anyone. The police source further narrated: “The RRS operatives said that the cyclist,
who was riding one-way, fell down after he saw the police van coming towards
Ejigbo. The cyclist was trying to reverse when he fell down. The policemen said
that they had continued on journey. The RRS operatives, however, suddenly saw many
cyclists pursuing them, shouting that they had knocked down their member. Knowing
the behavior of the Hausa cyclists, the RRS men drove to a nearby police post.
“Some of the policemen at the police post, sensing that the
cyclists might want to launch an attack as was their modus operandi, advised
the RRS operatives to drive straight to Ejigbo Police Station. Even though the
RRS men entered the station, these cyclists still pursued them into the station
and started vandalizing vehicles that were parked at the front of the station.
They also hurled stones into the station.
“Police were able to moblise and go after them. The suspects were
arrested in their various hideouts between 12am and 4am. We were able to seize
some of the motorcycles found in the hideout. We are still making arrest
because the cyclists were more than 15 that launched the attack.”
Another police source, said that Okuwobi has vowed to ensure that
the cyclists pay for all the damages they caused.
The Seriki of Hausa community in Ejigbo, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim,
unhappy over the incident, promised that such would never happen again. He
disclosed that he and other leaders had warned the cyclists to stop taking law
into their hands.
The Seriki added: “I heard that a police van hit a Hausa cyclist
along the Ejigbo road on Saturday night. What the cyclists told us was different from what police told
us. Police denied hitting the cyclist. They said the cyclist was riding
one-way. The cyclist fell down when he saw police van and wanted to turn around.
Other Hausa cyclists saw their colleague on the ground and thought the van
knocked him down. They pursued the police van, right down to the Ejigbo Police
Station. They destroyed police and other vehicles parked at the station.”
Ibrahim threatened that any of their members, who go contrary to
the law of the state, would be sent home.
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