The Kwara State Police command has denied the allegations of deploying police to supervise the demolition of Saraki’s revoked land, โIle Arugboโ.
In a statement by the Kwara Police Public Relations Officer, Dsp Okasanmi Ajayi, the police stated that โno policeman deployed for anticrime duties during the Christmas and new year celebrations fired a single shot of ammunition or canister during this periodโ.
He said, โThe Command wishes to make it clear that as part of its safety and crime prevention strategies in ensuring a hitch free celebrations during the Christmas and the new year festivities, Police patrol vans were stationed at strategic points across the state, including Iloffa road GRA,Ilorin on the 31/12/2019 being the new year eve. As was witnessed by all and sundry, the Christmas and new year celebrations were generally peaceful throughout the state. Our anti crime deployment during this period has nothing to do with any demolition exercise in the state.โ
According to him, โIt is therefore shocking to the Commissioner of Police to hear the news of policemen shooting life ammunitions and firing teargas canisters at the scene of a demolition exercise.
โFor the purpose of emphasis, the Command wishes to immediately dispel the insinuations that the men reported to have been firing indiscriminately during the demolition exercise were deployed by the Kwara state police command. No policeman was deployed by the command for any demolition exercise anywhere in the state and no policeman deployed for anticrime duties during the Christmas and new year celebrations fired a single shot of ammunition or canister during this period.
โConsequently, the Commissioner of Police, kwara state Ag CP Kayode Egbetokun has immediately directed a full scale investigation into this allegation with a view to determining the veracity of this report, the identities of the purported policemen, where they came from and on whose authority they were deployed.
Okasanmi therefore noted that, โThe Command hereby for the umpteen time wishes to reiterate the irrevocable commitment of the Commissioner of Police to the rule of law while making police service available and accessible to the people of Kwara state.โ
