Police brutality: Oyo residents lodge 46 complaints in nine days

A total of 46 residents of Oyo State have lodged complaints of police brutality with the state government in the past nine days.

Governor Seyi Makinde disclosed this during a meeting with leaders of #EndSARS protesters, artisans, tradesmen, commercial vehicle operators, motorcyclists held at House of Chiefs, State Secretariat, Ibadan, on Tuesday.

It will be recalled that the state government had on October 18 publicised an e-mail address and a link to the state website asking residents to report cases of police brutality and human right violations.

Speaking on the development, Makinde said with 46 cases at the moment, the state judicial panel, soon to be set up, already had issues to be addressed.

Assuring that the state’s panel will be set up by next Monday, at most, he asked associations present at the meeting to include associations of traders, artisans, commercial vehicle operators to send their representatives to make up the judicial panel.

He, however, noted that there was the need for the police to return to save the state from anarchy.

Subsequently, Makinde said the police was billed to return soon.

Recall that following the clash between the police and protesters, Makinde had asked the police to take the back seat while the state Joint Task Force, known as Operation Burst, handles security in the state.

“A place where there is no police will move towards anarchy. Our police will come back and they will come back now,” Makinde said.

Also in ensuring security in the state, Makinde said he had signed the recruitment of 1,500 personnel for the state security network agency known as Amotekun corps.

He said the training of the Amotekun personnel will begin on November 1 while they are expected to have the passing out parade on November 15.

Makinde accepted personal responsibility for activities of the Amotekun corps while assuring that the personnel will operate in all 351 wards in the state.

In his own remarks, Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Security, Mr Fatai Owoseni decried that the people bore the brunt of hoodlums that hid under #EndSARS protests to perpetrate destructive acts.

He solicited the support of various individuals and groups to caution their wards/children against taking to destruction, looting and arson under the guise of being #EndSARS protesters.

Speaking on behalf of the #EndSARS protesters, Mr Akeju Olusegun asked the state government to urgently set up the judicial panel.

This is as he asked Makinde to ensure that all arrested in the wake of the #EndSARS protests be released.

Representing the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Adebobola Agbeja tasked the state government to ensure that more youths are engaged so as to curtail the menace posed by having many idle hands.

She also solicited the establishment of voluntary youth organizations in schools so as to get the youth engaged and equipped for the future.

In his own input, Mr Salaudeen Kamorudeen of Progressives Tradesmen and Artisans called for an end to the looting and destruction of properties.

Representing the commercial vehicle operators, Mr Tirimisiyu Odunayo decried that many of them pay a lot in fines for various contraventions of traffic regulations.

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