#EndSARS: Commercial activities grind to halt as protesters shut Osun

As #EndSARS protest enters its sixth days in Osun state, hundreds of protesters yesterday shut down major parts of Osogbo, the state capital leading to total paralysis of business transactions in the affected areas where it took places.

The protesters who grounded to a halt all commercial activities in Old Garage, Oja-oba, popular Olaiya junction, Orita Sabo and some other nerve centres in the town, barricaded all roads leading to the above-mentioned places.

Motorists and motorcyclists who were defiant to their instructions were pleaded with to cooperate with them while many protesters turned the venues of the protests to a carnival grounds as they brought foods and water to take care of themselves during the peaceful protest.

As organisers of the protests danced till they were drenched with sweat, onlookers and other participants in the exercise also drank themselves to the brim and sang different militant songs without molestation.

Roadside hawkers were not left behind in the protests as they abandoned their daily routine trading activities to join the train of those clamouring for #EndSARS brutality n the state.

Armed with banners and placards that read: ” “We are for peace and of for war but we will fight to the last drop of our blood to see that SARS is ended in the country”, “We are tired of being molested by some disgruntled elements in the police for who under the disguise of SARS extort money from younger ones in the society” and many more.

The convener of the protests, however, called on President Mohammadu Buhari to sack the present Inspector general of Police, Adamu Mohammed whom they described as unfit.

The spokesperson of the conveners of the protest,  Bakare Olawale who made the call while speaking with newsmen in Osogbo, maintained that Nigerians were tired of the inspector general of police who can never be straight forwarded in the scheme of things.

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Also, in Ile-Ife, protests rock major parts of the ancient town as protesters organised themselves into a formidable group to join #EndSARS protests that lasted hours.

The protest which started at the entrance of the Obafemi Awolowo University main gate saw protesting marching around the nooks and crannies of the town to register their grievances against the brutality of the so-called SARS officials.

At Lagere area, the nerve centre of the town, the protesters who were mainly youths sang militant and dissolution of SARS songs and maintained that SARS should be completely forgotten in the country without being compromised.

However, in compliance with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Mohammed A. Adamu, concerning the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the state Commissioner of Police, CP Undie J. Adie has deployed all SARS personnel in the state.

The commissioner through his Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Yemisi Opalola made this known while speaking with our reporter in Osogbo yesterday.

According to him “it should be noted that the dissolution of SARS is in response to the yearnings of the people has been carried out in the command.”

He assures that a new policing arrangement to address anticipated policing gaps the dissolution of SARS would have caused has been developed and shall be announced in due course.

The Commissioner of Police appeals to the members of the public in the spirit of community policing to collaborate with the police by giving prompt and useful information that will promote the security of lives and property in the state.

He appreciated and commended all citizens, particularly those who genuinely express their concerns for a better policing orientation in an organised, patriotic and civil manner.

The CP assures good people of the state to go about their lawful business without fear of molestation from any person(s) as adequate security measures have been emplaced for maximum security of lives and property of the citizens.

Investigations into the state police command, however, revealed that SARS has seized to exist in the command as officers in the unit had been deployed to various divisional police stations in the state while those posted into the headquarters had been fixed in different units of the police force there.

A top police officer who preferred anonymity told our correspondent that, the SARS unit of the command now looks like a ghost place as it has been closed down completely.

According to him, some of the officers there had been deployed to different units of the command like admin, investigation department and many other places.

When asked whether SARS unit conspicuously written in the signpost of the unit had been erased, he said, what I can tell you is that no more SARS truly in the command.

All efforts made to move down to the unit to cross-check whether the name SARS had been erased from signposts of the unit was not successful as our correspondent was not allowed to go near the place.
_{NIGERIAN TRIBUNE}