The Oyo State Police command on Friday said that it has deployed some officers to strategic locations in the state in a bid to avoid attack on innocent citizens.
Police said that the officers were deployed due to alleged invasion of some areas by suspected herdsmen.
Our correspondent gathered that some residents of Ibadan had been in panic over alleged invasion of some local government areas by suspected Fulani herdsmen since Monday.
The affected local government areas allegedly invaded by the suspects who had a mission to attack the residents included Egbeda, Oluyole, Lagelu, Ona Ara, Akinyele and Ido.
A resident of Ibadan who went to a village near Asejire River told Pressmen that he witnessed the influx of about twenty people suspected to be Fulani herdsmen who were moving towards some villages in the area.
“We saw some Fulani herdsmen with dangerous weapons around Asejire River around 12pm yesterday (Monday).
It was glaring that the herdsmen were being pursued by some people and the herdsmen were ready to attack anyone on sight.”
He said that the Fulani herdsmen were more than twenty (20).
An official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Oyo State Command said that the command has been informed about the alleged invasion of some areas in Egbeda local government area.
The official who spoke with Pressmen in confidence on Tuesday said, “Officers have been on ground since the information broke out. We heard it since yesterday.”
The State Police command in its reaction, said that it has deployed intelligence to the nook and cranny of the State.
Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Adewale Osifeso noted that the security architecture of the command has been fortified.
Osifeso in a statement made available to us on Friday urged residents to desist from spreading unverified information in the state.
“The attention of the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Police Command, CP Ngozi Onadeko fdc has been drawn to series of baseless assertions making the rounds, suggesting the influx of suspected herders into the State with specific references to Akinyele, Ona-Ara, Oluyole, Monatan, Akobo and Egbeda areas where series of gunshots were allegedly heard at different times.
The rumour mill also span towards Ido local government area, sharing boundaries with Ibarapa North and East Local government where some strangers in their numbers allegedly believed to be herders stormed the community, leading to closure of schools and business activities.
“Following the above, the Commissioner of Police in due diligence, had hitherto deployed intelligence assets across the nooks and crannies of the state especially those areas reportedly troubled, which in turn has produced facts that negates the above assertions.
Consequent upon this, Oyo State Police Command wishes to refute these unfounded tales, aimed at promoting panic, apprehension and instigating violence in the state.
“While promising the citizenry that the security architecture of the state remains undisputedly firm and fortified daily with various security upgrades, the Commissioner of Police enjoins tmembers of the public to desist from the act of promoting unverified news as this is a counterproductive measure in the course of birthing a peaceful Oyo State of our collective dreams.”
