There was pandemonium in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday, as angry youths trooped to the streets to protest against the killing of a 16-year-old boy by some security agents.
The victim, whose identity could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, was said to be sitting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.
The boy, who was said to be an apprentice at a printer’s shop at Uncle Joe Bus Stop, in the Mokola area of Ibadan, was said to have been shot dead around 12.30am.
He was said to have stayed with his boss to print some materials overnight and was sent to buy food and drinks when the incident happened.
Some of the protesters claimed that the teenager was shot by some men of the Amotekun Corps, who were chasing some robbers at the time.
The youth, who were said to have carried the victim’s corpse atop a tricycle to the state secretariat, Agodi, called for the identification and arrest of those behind the killing.
The protesters made bonfires on the road leading to the secretariat, which reportedly caused gridlock on the road for about two hours.
Some of those who went to the secretariat said they were turned back by the youth, who blocked the road.
Security was quickly beefed up at the secretariat where the governor’s office is located and the gates leading to the place was shut to prevent the protesting youths from going in.
The Executive Assistant on Security to the Governor, Mr Sunday Odukoya, was said to have met with the protesters and appealed to them that the government would unravel those behind the killing.
The protesters reportedly insisted on seeing the governor, as security agents shut the gates while more policemen were deployed in the place.
Our correspondent, who later visited the secretariat, observed that armed policemen, aside those originally assigned to the secretariat, were on ground.
The Commandant of the Amotekun Corps in Oyo State, Col. Olayinka Olayanju (retd.), said his men had nothing to do with the killing.
He said, “They are just lying against us. We did not operate at Mokola; we gathered from the community that no Amotekun officer came there. It was just a lie against Amotekun. Amotekun did not kill anybody.”
Olayanju said anybody with evidence that his officers were responsible for the killing should not hesitate to come forward, assuring that such would be investigated.
(Punch)
