Police nab 16 suspects for murder, kidnapping, others in A’Ibom

• 12 arrested as violent protest claims two lives in Ibadan

About 16 criminal suspects arrested in seven different operations are now in the custody of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command awaiting prosecution.

Commissioner of Police (CP), Waheed Ayilara, made this known while speaking on the activities of the command.

Ayilara said the suspects were arrested for various crimes, including murder, cultism, kidnapping, armed robbery and child trafficking.

He stressed that the suspects had confessed to committing the crimes, and would be charged to court soon.

He said locally made guns, charms and illicit drugs were recovered from them, adding: “Discreet investigation led to the recovery of one AK-49 rifle, one SMG rifle, two magazines, six rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition.”

THIS came as the Oyo State Police Command arrested 12 persons in connection with a violent protest by staff of a private company, around Oluyole Estate.

The protesters were allegedly agitating for the payment of palliatives reportedly allocated by the Federal Government to private employers for distribution to their workers.

During the incident, road users were prevented from passing through the axis while some motorists who forced their way into the crowd had their vehicle screens damaged.

It was gathered that two persons were shot dead, while another was injured, allegedly by officers of the Oyo State Command.

It was said that trouble started when police officers were invited by the company’s management to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

Some of the protesters explained that the officers started shooting sporadically to disperse the crowd, an act which allegedly claimed the lives of the two workers and injured one.

A brother to one of the deceased, who pleaded anonymity, claimed his brother was shot by the police, and that security officers had prevented him from seeing the corpse.

But spokesperson for the command, Adewale Osifeso, denied the allegations.

Osifeso said: “The Oyo State Police Command wishes to set the record straight concerning the disturbing violent protests that rocked one of the factories belonging to Sumal Foods, Oluyole extension, Ibadan on Monday, July 1, at about 4:00 p.m.

“Preliminary investigation reveals that the protest was premised on a widespread false information authored and peddled by some of the workers concerning the disbursement of palliatives to all privately owned companies and firms in the country.”

“Their grouse, however, was that they were being denied the welfare package. Sadly, the protest was hijacked by criminal elements who forced their way into the factory, destroying vehicles and property worth millions of naira.

“One death was recorded during the violent protest. However, normalcy has since returned to the affected area with the deployment of the command’s operational and tactical assets. So far, 12 suspects have been arrested in connection with the violent protest.”