Oyo Govt Says Custom Operatives Raided Igangan, Not Gunmen

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

Mr Taiwo Adisa, the Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Seyi Makinde made the clarifications in a statement on Saturday in Ibadan.

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

It was learnt that the gunmen who dressed in Customs uniform stormed the town around 8.pm and left after shooting sporadically.

Three people were allegedly killed while the shooting lasted.

But Adisa said, “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 Customs 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.

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 said raid.

The team accompanied by the traditional rulers and community leaders visited the scenes 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.