Hoodlums raze down police station in Oyo

A group of hoodlums attacked and set fire to an outpost of the Oyo State Police Command located along the new Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway in the Atiba Local Government Area.

In response, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, emphasized that the command would strongly oppose any form of mistreatment of its personnel or vandalism of its facilities by malicious individuals or groups.

Osifeso said: “This is in furtherance of the unprovoked attack by lawless individuals, suspected to be hoodlums transiting along the new Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway during the early hours of today, (yesterday).

“Preliminary investigation reveals that the suspected hoodlums after realizing they had been held up in the gridlock for a while, charged in their numbers towards the nearby Elete out-station over the perceived failure of the police to rid the traffic, completely setting ablaze a recently refurbished patrol van and vandalizing some parts of the building.

“Thankfully, they were resisted from breaking into the out-station by overwhelming support garnered from men on confidence-building patrols from nearby Police Divisions, including the Area Command.

“Consequent to the immediate response and resistance from the men of the command, no weapon was carted away nor any life lost. Five male suspects were arrested alongside two unregistered DAF and Volvo trucks taken as exhibits.

“The case has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku to unravel other underlying sinister motives besides the suspects’ acclaimed ‘triggering gridlock issue’.