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Twenty-four hours after hoodlums set Ogun State House of Assembly Deputy Speaker, Olakunle Oluomo’s campaign office and his five buses ablaze at Ifo Local Government Area, the state police command has declared a Police Inspector missing.
The Command Spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed in Abeokuta yesterday that no fewer than 25 suspects have been arrested in connection with the violence following the killing of a resident by police officers.
Oyeyemi confirmed that the arsonists burnt the campaign office and five buses belonging to Oluomo, declaring that the whereabouts of an Inspector of Police was unknown since Sunday when the incident occurred.
“A Police Inspector is missing. The Police Inspector was attacked with cutlasses during the mob attack and up till now his whereabouts is still unknown, which gives credence to the attack,” he said.
According to Oyeyemi, the Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama, and some other senior officers of the Command visited the scene of the incident yesterday for an assessment.
He said a stray bullet also killed a young man identified as Akeem when the policemen were making efforts to scare the mob, which was ready to attack them.
Oyeyemi added that men of the zonal Intervention Squad have arrested a suspect for being in possession of firearms.
He added that a few minutes after the incident, some hoodlums went to the office of the Deputy Speaker and set it ablaze along with five buses.
“Some people mobilised themselves and attacked the office of the Deputy Speaker burnt down the office and five vehicles in that area, describing the act as criminal and vowed prosecute the perpetrators.
“We cannot establish a correlation between the incident and the reaction of the people because there is no connection between the two. For now, we have arrested 25 suspects. The issues are two, the case of murder and arson.”
“But the people have committed arson. That act is criminal because there is nothing that warrants the action”.
Oyeyemi added that the 25 suspects have been handed over to the State Criminal and Investigation Department (CID) and would be investigated, saying those not indicted would be released, while those involved would be prosecuted.
