Kwara State Police Command has cleared the air on the pandemonium that erupted late Friday at Lajolo, a satellite community of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin and the students’ siege on the community, including the institution’s gate on Saturday morning.
A statement by SP Okasanmi Ajayi, the state Police Public Relations Officer explained that the pandemonium experienced within the area arose as a result of the attack unleashed on a team of Police detectives from the Special Tactical Squad (STS) FIB, Abuja, who came on the trail of some cultists in the area.
The cultists, he said, had attacked and killed a student of Kwara State University, Malete on Friday. “Four of the cultists were arrested and dangerous weapons were recovered from the suspects.
“Information available to the STS team indicated that some of the cultists were hiding at Lajolo area of Kwara Polytechnic Ilorin, where similar attack was unleashed on one student named Idris Aderemi by same cultists at about 0600hrs today 29/1/22, in the same area. This prompted the visit to the area by the STS team.
“Surprisingly, the cultists who were already in ambush, attacked the police team damaging the police Hummer bus and inflicting a gunshot injury on the head of one police Sergeant, Adebayo Abdulahi attached to the STS team.
“In the ensuing inbroglio, students in their numbers came out to block the road and prevented free flow of traffic and burning tyres on the road.
The PPPRO said the Commissioner of Police Kwara State, CP Tuesday Assayomo, immediately dispatched teams of policemen to the area to restore peace.
In the process, he said, “two cultists, one Ahmed 'm' surname unknown and one Musibau 'm' A.K.A Shaban was arrested with one fabricated English pistol with 3 live ammunition, 2 live cartridges and one pistol magazine.
The injured policeman and the suspects have been taken to the hospital for treatment
The commissioner of police wishes to advise members of the Public to go about their lawful businesses without any fear of attack or intimidation; calm has been totally restored in the affected area, while Policemen are on standby to forestall any further act of lawlessness from any quarters” The statement further said.
However, the Polytechnic authority has issued a statement describing the siege and students protest on its campus as a “misinformation”
A release signed by Abdulkadir Yunus, the institution’s Public Relations Officer said “the incident that occurred at Lajolo community early this morning was between the Police and Lajolo community and has nothing to do with the Polytechnic students or the campus”
Yunus explained that the institution’s first semester CBT examinations was ongoing on the campus without any disturbance.
Nevertheless, he said, “the management of the Polytechnic has magnanimously accepted the plea of the students who could not make it to the campus before the blockage at Oyun, to rescheduling their examinations on another date to be communicated to them via their heads of the department.
“It is pertinent to clear the air that the Polytechnic Students are law abiding citizens and will not indulge in any illegal activity that will disrupt their academic careers.
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