1 shot as policemen, residents clash in Ibadan

Some residents in Yemetu area of Ibadan yesterday engaged ‎a team of policemen in a battle and attempted to set a police station ablaze.

The crisis was said to have stemmed from an alleged shooting of a commercial motorcyclist by a policeman for purportedly refusing to part with money.

The colleagues of the shot motorcyclist allegedly mobilised themselves and staged a protest. They were said to have armed themselves with guns, cutlasses, and bottles, and attempted to burn a nearby police station and policemen had to mount a heavy security cordon in front of the station to protect it.

Another version of the story stated that the shot person was hit by an accidental discharge when policemen raided a joint where some hoodlums used to gather to smoke India hemp and drink alcohol.

The crisis was said to have spread to Beere, Dandaru, Oje, and other streets in the area, and people who operate businesses in the area hurriedly locked their shops and ran for cover.

It was gathered that both regular and mobile policemen as well as men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad were deployed to restore order.

As gathered, some of the hoodlums took advantage of the crisis to loot some shops and vandalise others.

The Police Public Relations Officer for the state, Mr. Adekunle Ajisebutu, who confirmed the crisis, said seven people had been arrested in connection with the fracas, but he could not confirm whether anyone was shot or not.