The Oyo State Police Command says calm has returned to the Strabag area of Ojoo, Ibadan, following a mob action that degenerated into a public disturbance, leaving two persons dead and several properties destroyed.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Adewale Osifeso, preliminary investigations showed that at about 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, four young men arrived at a Point of Sale (POS) outlet in the area in a commercial tricycle to purchase mobile data.
During the transaction, they allegedly attempted to steal the operator’s mobile phone.
The victim reportedly raised an alarm, prompting residents to pursue the suspects. One of them, identified as Abeeb Olajide, was apprehended and allegedly beaten by the mob before security operatives rescued him and rushed him to hospital.
He was later pronounced dead at the State Hospital, Moniya.
The police said tensions subsequently rose as groups within the community mobilised for reprisals, leading to unrest in parts of the Strabag axis.
Commissioner of Police Abimbola Olugbenga immediately ordered the deployment of tactical and operational units to the area, with reinforcements drawn from other formations in the state.
The command added that the operation was carried out in conjunction with the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Western Nigeria Security Network, Amotekun, whose combined efforts restored order and prevented further casualties.
Another resident, Kamorudeen Abdulrasheed, later died in hospital from injuries allegedly sustained during the disturbance. Police said investigations are ongoing to determine the precise circumstances surrounding his death.
The unrest also led to the destruction of six makeshift shops containing condemned plastic materials.
Personnel of the Oyo State Fire Service responded promptly and succeeded in preventing the fire from spreading to nearby structures.
Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the attempted robbery, the mob action and the ensuing violence.
They are currently in the custody of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Iyaganku, where a full investigation is underway.
The police condemned the resort to jungle justice and urged residents to hand suspects over to law enforcement authorities rather than take the law into their own hands.
The command also appealed to community leaders and other stakeholders to discourage any attempt to exploit the incident to incite ethnic or communal tensions, assuring residents that security has been strengthened in the affected area and across strategic parts of Ibadan.
