Youths set police stations on fire after a father is killed

Some youths in Ifonyintedo, Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State, set fire to two police stations on Wednesday. This happened after the alleged killing of a father of a newborn, Owolabi Oniyiku, at a police checkpoint in the area.

A community leader spoke with our correspondent on Thursday but asked to remain anonymous. He said Oniyiku, who lived in Lagos, had come back to the community with friends to celebrate the Oro festival when he was allegedly shot by policemen.

The incident took place around Akinde Junction, on the Ifonyintedo axis. The source described the police facility there as a makeshift checkpoint.

He said the location had become known for harassing motorists and commercial motorcyclists. This had caused anger among residents the day before.

The source explained that after the earlier incident at the checkpoint, police officers started an operation. They allegedly arrested several commercial motorcyclists.

"There is a police checkpoint, a makeshift shed there. It is not an official checkpoint. The police officers there usually harass people a lot. Every bike that passes through that area, they harass it."

He continued, "They started harassing all the commercial motorcyclists passing by and taking them away. They reportedly arrested about 15 motorcyclists."

The source added that Oniyiku was taking his friends to Ilashe. On his way back, he was reportedly stopped by the policemen, leading to the shooting.

"This guy who was killed was taking his friends to Ilashe. Maybe on his way back, they accosted him. Maybe they wanted to collect his bike from him; I don’t know what led to the argument, and the guy was killed straight away."

He said, "He was not armed; he had nothing on him, and he was killed on the spot."

The source said the situation was especially painful because Oniyiku's wife had just given birth to a baby two days earlier.

"And they said his wife just had a baby two days ago. So, it’s quite unfortunate," he said.

After the alleged killing, the source mentioned that some youths carried Oniyiku’s body to the police station. This sparked more tension in the area.

He claimed this led to the burning of two police stations in the community. One was a newly completed community police station, and the other was an older, rundown station.

The Ipokia Local Government Youth Forum has called for an immediate and transparent investigation into Oniyiku's alleged killing. The group released a statement signed by its General Secretary, Adeyemi Olusegun, on Thursday.

They claimed Oniyiku was killed at an unauthorized checkpoint. Olusegun described the incident as "deeply disturbing" and demanded that all officers present at the checkpoint be identified and investigated.

He called for a quick and thorough investigation into what happened to Oniyiku. He also demanded that any officer found guilty face disciplinary and criminal actions.

The youth group urged the police to reach out to Oniyiku’s family with an apology and a condolence visit. They also requested the removal of what they called an illegal checkpoint where the incident happened.

He said, "We demand disbandment of the illegal, unauthorized checkpoint where the incident happened and other illegal checkpoints along Ifonyintedo Road. We want to know the personnel attached to the checkpoint and the rules governing their operations."

The group mentioned that residents have faced harassment, extortion, and other abuses by some police personnel in the area. They claimed Oniyiku’s death was the third police-related killing of a youth in the area in three years.

The forum said they would protest at police stations in Ipokia Local Government to voice their anger about the ongoing killings of youths.

"We call on all our members, the people of Ifonyintedo, community leaders, and other stakeholders to remain calm and law-abiding while demanding justice through legitimate and constitutional channels," the statement added.

The group asked the Inspector-General of Police and the Ogun State Commissioner of Police to step in. They said an impartial investigation is needed to find out what happened and to rebuild public trust.

"The death of Mr Owolabi Oniyiku must not become another unresolved case. We deserve answers; his family deserves justice, and the community deserves accountability," Olusegun concluded.

Attempts to get a response from the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Babaseyi Oluseyi, were unsuccessful. He had not replied to calls and messages by the time this report was filed on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a senior security officer in the area, who did not want to be named, confirmed the incident. "The incident happened, but I cannot give further details on it at the moment," the source said.