Police commissioner speaks on withdrawing officers from Ekiti community

Ekiti State Police Commissioner, Tunde Mobayo, has reacted on the insinuations that policemen had been withdrawn from some communities in the state following the attack on some policemen and their formations in part of the state.

Newsflash247 had earlier reported that the Nigerian Police had withdrawn police services from Ikere Ekiti, the headquarters of Ikere Council Area of Ekiti State following the attacks on the three Police stations in the town which were set ablaze by suspected hoodlums who hijacked the recent #ENDSARS protests.

The town suffered the most grievous attacks and destruction during the last nationwide EndSARS protests, with property worth millions of naira either burnt or damaged.

The area command and the two divisional police stations in the town were also attacked during the protests, with vehicles and other vital items either burnt or vandalised.

Ikere-Ekiti is the second biggest town after Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

All the commercial banks such as First Bank, Wema Bank, Access Banks and others have been closed down due to the withdrawal of police services from the town.

Newsflash247 visited the second largest community in the state and observed financial institutions as well as Point of Terminal(POS) outlets were under lock and key due to fear of being attacked over alleged absence of policemen.

Findings by our correspondent indicated that there had been no police officer in the town following the burning of two police stations and destruction of the Area Command by hoodlums during the #ENDSARS protests.

Reacting to alleged withdrawal of policemen, banks in the town did not open for operation since last week Tuesday, November 10, forcing many customers who wanted to transact business to go to Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

Customers expressed disappointment over the development, saying it had affected their businesses negatively.

But the State Police Commissioner, Tunde Mobayo, has debunked insinuations that policemen had been withdrawn from some communities in the state following the attack on some policemen and their formations in part of the state.

Mobayo said, “The Command has no reason, whatsoever, to withdraw policemen posted to any part of the state including Ikere-Ekiti for the discharge of their statutory duties”.

A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, on Wednesday titled, ‘Aftermath of EndSARS protest: IGP committee visits Ekiti,’ stated that the police commissioner spoke at Ikere Ekiti during the visit of the Assessment Committee of the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, headed by CP Abutu Yaro, to affected police formations.

Mobayo, who assured Ekiti people of his commitment to the protection of citizens’ lives and properties, stressed that “no policeman posted to Ikere-Ekiti axis was withdrawn due to the recent unrest birthed by the EndSARS protest hijacked by hoodlums. Our officers and men are still very much on ground”.

The Yaro-led committee was in the state to properly document the losses suffered by the force during the EndSARS protest for the purpose of strategic planning, re-construction and re-equipment as well as for future reference.

According to Abutu, the IGP committee was at Ikere Area Command where police facilities were looted and vandalized; Ikere Divisional Police Headquarters that was looted and set ablaze by the hoodlums during the protest and Afao-Ikere Divisional Police Headquarters that was also looted and set ablaze by the hoodlums under the umbrella of EndSARS protest.

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