The Oyo State Police Command took swift action on Tuesday by apprehending 78 individuals believed to be associated with the recently disbanded Park Management System.
These suspects were allegedly plotting to instigate civil unrest within Ibadan, the capital city of the state. Earlier, Governor Seyi Makinde had dissolved the Park Management System, which was under the leadership of Mukaila Lamidi, commonly known as Auxiliary.
The arrest operation resulted in the confiscation of several items, including firearms, 724 live cartridges, 25 cutlasses, seven jack knives, 33 mobile phones, one laptop, charms, two vehicles, and over N3 million in cash.
Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Williams, showcased the detained individuals at the command’s headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan.
He disclosed, “On Tuesday, through a well-coordinated intelligence-driven raid conducted at Auxiliary’s location within Diamond Hotel, Alakia-Isebo, Egbeda Local Government, we arrested 78 suspected hoodlums who had meticulously planned to unleash chaos in major parts of the metropolis today.” The suspects were found in possession of sophisticated firearms during the operation.
Williams further revealed that during the raid, the police recovered advanced firearms hidden inside hotel rooms and in the trunk compartments of parked vehicles within the premises.
Although Auxiliary managed to evade capture along with some of his associates during a gunfight with the police, one member of the group was fatally shot. The same group was also accused of carrying out an attack on 14 members of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria in the Agodi area of Ibadan North-East Local Government Area on Monday.
The Commissioner emphasized, “In accordance with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and other relevant laws, all the recovered items have been properly documented, packaged, and recorded for forensic analysis and as evidence.”
In response to the situation, the state government temporarily closed down bus terminals in Ibadan. Our correspondent, who visited the Ojoo and Challenge parks, witnessed the Western Nigeria Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, securing the premises.