Police, Youths Clash In Osun As Another Detained Suspect Allegedly Dies

Some angry youths and residents of Ile-Ife in Osun State on Saturday staged a protest over the alleged death of a suspect, Olufemi Oriyomi, in police detention.

It was gathered that protest against alleged extra-judicial killings by the police in the state started in Ile Ife on Friday and continued on Saturday.

The protesters were said to have trooped to the streets on Saturday and later went to protest at the gate of the Ooni Palace, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who they asked to intervene in the crisis.

The angry youths were said to have taken the protest to the police stations located at Moore and Iloro to register their anger against the alleged extrajudicial killings in the state.

It was gathered that in a bid to drive away the protesters from the police station at Iloro, a clash ensued between the policemen and the protesters and one of the youths was said to have been shot dead.

One of the youths said Oriyomi and two others were arrested by the police at his residence on April 7.

The source told journalists, “Three of my friends were arrested by the police and we raised N1.5 million to bribe them but they told us to add to it but we refused.

” The police put the three of them inside water container and inserted electric shock inside it. During the torture, Oriyomi develop serious health issue and he later died.

“We are here protesting at the palace of Ooni to intervene in the incessant extrajudicial killings by the police in the state.”

But reacting to the development, the Osun State Police Command said Oriyomi and the two suspects were ritualists.

The PPRO, Yemisi Opalola, in a statement on Saturday claimed that the police arrested three ritualists namely Olayade Kehinde ‘M’ 25yrs, Olufemi Oriyomi ‘M’ 21yrs and Raimi Sheriff ‘M’ 21yrs on the 7th April, 2022 at about 11am along Osogbo/OAU Ife Campus Road, the police detectives on ‘stop and search’ duty accosted three men on a motorcycle, they were flagged down, but rather than stop, sped off, and were pursued.

“They were eventually arrested at Safejo area of Ile-Ife, and while searching, human heart, which they claimed was one of their friend’s and various criminal charms were found on them.”

The Osun State Government has however sued for calm over the development.

The Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs Funke Egbemode, appealed to the youths to eschew violence while assuring them that the state had ordered a probe into the incident.

She said, “The government has ordered an immediate investigation into the remote and immediate causes of the violence, especially the alleged death of a detained suspect and shooting by men of the Nigerian Police at unarmed youths.”