Oyo State Police Command on Thursday launched a show of force in key areas of the state following an alleged police invasion of some state gunmen.
Informing reporters when the patrol ended, State Police Commissioner Ngozi Onadeko said the patrol should let the public know that their safety is the main responsibility of the police.
The Nigeria News Agency (NAN) reports that there were suspicions that gunmen had invaded the state to cause a crisis.
NAN reports that the police started the show of force from the command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, via Egbeda, Monatan, Akinyele, Moniya, Beere, Agodi-Gate, Olodo, Iwo Road, among others.
Onadeko said there was no truth to the rumor that suspected bandits had invaded major cities, warning that unfounded rumors would do no one in society any good.
According to her, police and other sister state security agencies, working with local hunters and vigilante groups, are working to keep lives and property safe in the state.
She called on the state’s citizens to stop creating unnecessary fear in the public and provide credible information that the police can act on.
“Go about your normal business; Likewise, the June 12 issue, the police and other security agencies are working in harmony with non-state actors to ensure state security, ”Onadeko said.
In an interview with NAN, Akinyele Cattle Market Chief Alhaji Muhammed Sugaba said there was calm and there was no ethnic discrimination in the market.
Sugaba said that there is a peaceful coexistence between the different ethnic groups in the market, ensuring the residents of a continuous relationship between the inhabitants of the market.
Additionally, Alhaji Dauda Alamu, chairman of the Akinyele Market Goat Vendors Association, said they were impressed and felt safe with the state police patrol.
