Police caution against planned protest in Osun, vow decisive response

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The Osun State Police Command has warned individuals and groups planning to cause chaos or disrupt public peace through a proposed protest to desist from any act capable of threatening lives and property in the state.

The warning followed a notice of protest allegedly issued by a faceless group identified through intelligence as the “Congress of Cultists”, purportedly associated with the Neo-Black Movement, also known as Black Axe.

The command, in a statement issued on Sunday by its public relations officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, said the police and other security agencies would not allow miscreants to exploit any situation to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere in the state.

It warned that operatives would respond decisively and appropriately to any action capable of threatening the peace and security of Osun.

The police also urged individuals and groups with grievances or disputes to seek lawful means of resolving them, stressing that nobody should resort to violence, self-help or reprisal attacks.

The command disclosed that a thorough and discreet investigation had commenced into a recent killing, adding that the investigation had yielded useful leads, while some suspects identified in connection with the incident remained at large.

It appealed to members of the public with useful information about the killing to come forward, assuring them that such information would be treated with the necessary confidentiality.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Zungura, also called on parents, community leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other responsible members of the public to prevail on youths and others in their communities not to participate in acts capable of destabilising the state.