Police Inspector Missing As 25 Suspects Are Arrested For Attack On Ogun Deputy Gov's Office

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested 25 suspects over attacks on the campaign offices of the deputy governor and a member of the state house of assembly.

The command also declared one of its officers, an Inspector, missing following the attack on the campaign office of the lawmaker, Olakunle Oluomo, in Ifo local government area.

The command public relations officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who disclosed this to journalists on Monday, said the suspects were arrested over the attack and a subsequent one on the campaign office of the Deputy Speaker, Yetunde Onanuga.

He said the thugs allegedly killed one person and set ablaze the deputy governor’s campaign office, including five buses.

Mr Oyeyemi said the whereabout of the Inspector was unknown since Sunday when the incident happened.

Missing in action
“Now, a police inspector is missing. The police inspector was macheted during the mob attack and up till now, his whereabout is unknown. That gave the credence that they were attacked,” he said.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama, and top officers visited the scene (lawmaker’s office) on Monday and discovered that a victim, Akeem, was killed by a stray-bullet.

He said one of the suspects arrested confessed to being a member of a cult group.

“That suspect mentioned another person, that he was part of the notorious cult group which they all belonged to.

“It was that one that was taken to Ifo to identify the suspect and they have succesfully arrested him.”

The policeman, however, said the officers on their way back from Ifo were attacked by suspected cult members. He said one person died from bullet wounds as the officers tried to wade through.

“On their way coming (back), they mobbed and attacked the officers and in the course of escaping from the attack, they (police) released gunshots and incidentally, it hit one person and he died,” the officer said.

Second attack
Mr Oyeyemi said the hoodlums then went to the office of the Deputy Speaker in Coker Bus Stop and set it ablaze along with five buses.

“Some people mobilised themselves and attacked the office of the Deputy Speaker, burnt down the office and five vehicles in that area. The correlation between the incident that happened and the reaction of the people is what we cannot establish. There is no nexus between the two (attacks).

“For now, we have arrested 25 suspects. The issues are two: the case of murder and arson. The case of arson is what the people have committed. That act is pure criminal(ity), there is nothing that warrants the spontaneous action.

“Those 25 suspects have been handed over to the State Criminal and Investigation Department. They are going to be screened, those who are not directly involved will be released and those who are directly involved are going to face the law.”