Oyo govt says Customs operatives raided Ibarapa, not unknown gunmen

The Oyo State Government has clarified that men of the Nigeria Customs Service raided Igangan and other parts of Ibarapa areas of the state on Friday night, not unknown gunmen.

This clarification was issued via a statement by Mr Taiwo Adisa, the Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Seyi Makinde, on Saturday in Ibadan.

According to Adisa, this was contrary to the widely circulated report that unknown gunmen had, again, attacked the areas.

Adisa said that the revelation was made known by Ibarapa Community leaders during a fact-finding meeting between team of the state government and political/traditional leaders of the affected communities on Saturday.

“The political and traditional leaders of Ibarapa extraction at the meeting, described the Friday raid on Igangan, Igbo-Ora and other communities in the area by men of the NCS, as unnecessary and not well-thought-out.

“They called on the leadership of Custom Service to regulate operations of its personnel.

“It will be better if the authorities restrict them to border towns to end unwarranted attacks on innocent communities,” Adisa said.

READ ALSO: Oyo govt confirms COVID-19 Delta variant in state

The governor’s media aide said that Odukoya, who led the state government team to the meeting, had called for vigilance and calm among the people.

He said that police in the areas had confirmed the death of one Amotekun operative and two other persons, following the raid.

The team, accompanied by the traditional rulers and community leaders, visited the scene of the incident at Igangan, Ayete, Tapa, and Igbo-Ora.

The leaders, included the Olu of Igbo-Ora, Oba Jimoh Titiloye, and the Chairman of Ibarapa North Local Government, Mr Adeoye Adedoyin.

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