Police confirm killing of woman, children, abduction of doctor

• Insecurity in Oyo reflects Nigerian reality, says don

Oyo State Police Command has confirmed the killing of three people and abduction of a doctor in the state on Saturday. It was gathered that gunmen murdered a businesswoman and two nine-year-old cousins at Idere, Ibarapa Central Council of the state.

The doctor, identified as Akindele, was abducted at Tapa in Ibarapa North Council. Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olugbenga Fadeyi, confirmed the incidents in a statement made available to journalists on Sunday night.

In a statement issued on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joe Enwonwu, the PPRO stressed that the abduction of Akindele in his hospital, though not officially reported to the Divisional Police Headquarters in Ayete, was an issue of concern.

The statement read: “The attention of the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, CP Joe Enwonwu, has been drawn to the two incidents that happened at Idere in Ibarapa Central, where a businesswoman and two nine-year-old cousins were killed by unknown gunmen and abduction of another man known as Dr. Akindele in Tapa, Ibarapa North, on January 2, 2021.”

MEANWHILE, a security scholar at the University of Ibadan, Prof. Oyesoji Aremu, has described security issues in Oyo as a reflection of insecurity in the country.

Aremu, who stated this yesterday while speaking with The Guardian in Ibadan, maintained that the insecurity was as a result of failed security architecture in the country.

The don stated: “The litany of insecurity, though appears to be more in Oyo State, is a reflection of insecurity in the land. This notwithstanding, some parts of Oyo, especially the northern axis, seem to be the worst hit in recent times. Many of these have been attributed to influx of Fulani herdsmen and other criminals.

“What the litany of insecurity portends is the seeming failure of security architecture not only in Oyo, but in the whole country, as criminals in different guises move unhindered and even forming colonies in some parts of the land without security checks and intelligence on their profiles. That makes it easier for them to operate unchallenged in some cases.”