The Officer-in-Charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Saki Unit, Oyo State Police Command, has been killed by Fulani herdsmen.
The unnamed SARS boss, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, was killed, Tuesday night.
He was said to have been macheted to death by the Fulani herdsmen during an operation in a forest on the Saki-Ogbooro Road in Oke-Ogun area of the state.
According to reports, police authorities in Oyo State have confirmed the killing.
Meanwhile, a former minister of Aviation, Femi Fani Kayode has reacted to the development, saying law and order had been broken in the country as no one is safe, even security agents, from Fulani herdsmen whom he described as ‘bloodsucking’.
On his official twitter page, he wrote โA SARS police officer was cut into tiny pieces with machetes by Fulani terrorists in Saki, Oyo State yesterday. Law and order has broken down and even our security agents are being targeted and slaughtered in open daylight by these bloodthirsty and bloodsucking Fulani herdsmen.โ
…no herders’ attack on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway โ Police
The Ogun State Police Command has debunked the report of an attack by herdsmen along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway describing it asโfake news by a faceless group of students.โ
The report of the attack was followed by an anonymous security alert warning motorists and other travellers to avoid passing the route, as herdsmen were attacking and killing people.
‘The attention of Ogun State Police Command has been once again drawn to an alleged attack by herdsmen along Lagos/Ibadan expressway as well as an anonymous security alert letter written by a faceless student group urging students and members of the public not to travel along that route,โ the police said in a statement.
Police spokesperson in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the faceless group also posted a simulated voice recording on social media where some people were crying and pleading with their alleged attackers not to kill them.
โThe Command wouldn’t have dignified the disgruntled elements with a response but in order to allay the fears of the public, the true security situation along that axis has to be made known to all and sundry,โ Oyeyemi added.
โTo start with, there is no attack by herdsmen or any other group in all the stretch of Expressways across and within Ogun State, we make bold to say that the alleged attack posted on social media is a lie from the pit of hell fire being peddled by those who are not happy with the peaceful atmosphere in Ogun State,โ he said.
โThe picture attached to the post is a picture of an accident which occurred about eight years ago exactly on the 31st of July 2010 to be precise; while the purported voice recording was a stage managed one,โ Oyeyemi stressed.
โThe Lagos/Ibadan express road is one of the busiest roads in Nigeria and the Command is not oblivious of that fact, for that reason, there has been massive deployment of Police operatives from FSARS, Anti-Kidnapping/cultist unit, PMF as well as conventional policemen on surveillance and monitoring operatives and patrols to ward off any act of criminal activities on that road.
โIn as much as there is freedom of speech as guaranteed by the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, such freedom does not license anybody to be peddling dangerous rumours that can cause breach of public peace.
โIn view of that, the command is investigating those behind the senseless rumour with the view of bringing them to justice as they can be best described as enemy of the state.
โWe hereby enjoin the good and peace loving people of the state to discountenance the rumour and go about their lawful businesses without any fear of harassment or attack from anybody or group.
โAny suspicious movement or gathering should be reported to the Police and other sister security agencies as quickly as possible and quick and adequate response will be accorded such report,โ the police said.
…military launches 6-week operation in Benue, Kogi, Taraba
The Nigerian army said it will launch a military operation,ย โAyem Akpatuma” โ meaning โcat raceโ in Tiv โ in Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Kogi, Niger and Kaduna states.
The operation, expected to last between February 15 and March 31, is to curb herdsmen attacks.
The Chief Training and Operations, David Ahmadu, confirmed the development yesterday.
โMore so, ‘Ayem Akpatuma’ exercise has become more expedient due to upsurge in cases of armed banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in Kaduna and Niger States as well as other sundry crimes in Kogi State and herdsmen/farmers clashes and attacks on innocent members of our communities, particularly in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states by armed militias,โ Ahmadu said.
โThese security challenges have continued unabatedly in these states despite the efforts by sister security agencies to curb them.
โThe need for troops to be exercised, refreshed and to imbibe the requisite skills to cope with these emerging security challenges within the 1 and 3Divisions including Headquarters, Army Records, Guards Brigade and 707 Special Forces Brigade Areas of Responsibility in aid of civil authority.โ
According to Ahmadu, the exercise would be conducted in conjunction with other security agencies including the Department of State Services (DSS), police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
He said the collaboration will also afford the troops the opportunity to effectively checkmate the dreadful activities of the โmarauding criminal militiasโ perpetrating criminal acts in those states and their environs.
He also said the exercise would be unique as โStep-Up Brigade Headquarters” would be established in the six states.
โIt will also provide an avenue to conduct operations against violent criminals when called upon,” he said.
โEmphasis will be placed on raids, cordon-and-search operations, anti-kidnapping drills, road blocks, checkpoints and show of force, as well as humanitarian activities such as medical outreach.โ
During his visit to Nasarawa on Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a crackdown on those behind the violence in that region.
