…Police arrest 20 suspects over invasion of Oyo Secretariat, House of Assembly
Some people suspected to be Yoruba nation agitators have stormed the Oyo State Secretariat in an attempt to take over the House of Assembly Complex.
DAILY POST reports that the House of Assembly is located within the state secretariat and a few meters away from the governor’s office.
Our correspondent gathered that the agitators, Saturday morning, stormed the secretariat in an attempt to take over the Assembly Complex.
DAILY POST learnt that the agitators, who were dressed in military uniform, engaged in fierce gun duel with members of Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), also known as Amotekun, the Police and Operation Burst personnel before they were eventually overpowered.
Sources said that the suspects had earlier taken over the assembly complex premises, and hoisted their flag before the arrival of backup security personnel.
At the time of filing this report, our correspondent gathered that the presence of Police, Amotekun, and other security personnel had put the situation under control.
DAILY POST also gathered that some of the agitators have been arrested.
All roads leading to the secretariat have been deserted as a result of the incident.
Our correspondent reports that the incident is coming few months after some agitators hijacked a radio station in Ibadan.
Efforts to reach heads of security agencies in the state to speak on the matter have proved to be abortive as at the time of filing this report.
In May last year, some people suspected to be Yoruba nation agitators hijacked Amuludun 99.1 FM Ibadan.
Police arrest 20 suspects over invasion of Oyo Secretariat, House of Assembly
The Oyo State Police Command has said that no fewer than 20 suspects have been arrested in connection with the invasion of the Oyo State Secretariat and the State House of Assembly.
The command made this declaration on Saturday via a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso.
The police PRO said that 20 suspects were subsequently arrested with dangerous weapons in their possession.
Items recovered from the suspects include three pump-action guns, 291 live cartridges, two expended cartridges, 67 cutlasses, five bulletproof vests, six pairs of boots, 10 megaphones (public address system), three Oodua berets, seven belts, 11 Oodua Nation Army camouflage uniforms, one unregistered Nissan Urban caravan bus and three TVS motorcycles.
Osifeso said: “Today, Saturday, April 13, 2024, at about 09:15 am, operatives of the Oyo State Police Command, in concert with some members of sister agencies, successfully thwarted an attempt by hoodlums suspected to be members of the ‘Yoruba Nation Agitation Group’ driven by a separatist agenda, to forcefully takeover the Oyo State Government Secretariat, Agodi-Ibadan.
“Sequel to the above, the Commissioner of Police has detailed a high-powered investigation team, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, to demystify circumstances surrounding the incident and as well expand the network of arrests through painstaking intelligence-driven investigation.
“The Oyo State Police Command enjoins residents to be generous with information and cooperate with the command in a bid to rid the state of criminal elements whose intent is to propagate separatist agenda.”
