Police Command in Osun State has debunked reports that protesters carried AK47 riffles unchallenged during Tuesday’s protest, by some youths in Osogbo.
Some youths in Osogbo protested the raid and arrest of some suspected internet fraudsters in Osogbo by officials of the EFCC in the early hours of Tuesday.
A statement by the spokesperson of the Police Command, SP Yemisi Opalola, on Thursday said the report and picture of a young man with an AK47 Riffle among the protesters, was misleading.
She said the person pictured in the report was a police officer in mufti and not a protester.
“The attention of the Commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode, has been drawn to the news trending in the social media that one of the protesters, who willingly and unlawfully disrupted the peace and tranquility of Osogbo, was seen with an AK 47 rifle.
“The CP would not have dignified the writers with a reply, but due to the sensitivity and the nature of the incident. It has become absolutely necessary, not only to refute the story but to also set the records straight and douse the attendant fear and apprehension.
“On Tuesday, May 18, at about 6.00 am some youths in the state took to major streets of Osogbo, set bonfires, and blocked roads. They were expressing their displeasure over the arrest of some suspected Internet fraudsters, known as “Yahoo boys,” by some EFCC operatives from Ibadan.”
Opalola in the statement added that the protest hindered vehicular movements and disrupted the daily activities of law-abiding citizens.
She said, “The CP, in order not to allow the protest degenerate into chaos and anarchy, promptly deployed the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Dugbe Division, who swiftly mobilized some policemen, who were off duty to the protest scene, to increase the number of police officers.
“The picture of the young man in the report said to be with an AK47 rifle, is the picture of one of the police officers in mufti, hurriedly deployed for the swift response operation.
“In the light of the foregoing, the CP urges members of the public to disregard the information as untrue and deliberately penned, not only to hit the body of the police but to also misguide and confuse the public.”
In the statement, she added that the CP implored the good people of the state to continue partnering with the Police Command so that they could protect and serve them better.
“Residents are also advised to shun every act that can result in violence and thereby jeopardize the existing peace in the state.”
