Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
Four persons were shot in a pandemonium that broke out, on Saturday morning at the Kwara State Polytechnic (KWARAPOLY) gate and their fates were still sketchy at the time of filing this report, at the weekend.
Though the Police, through the state Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ajayi Okasanmi, said one of those shot was a police operative of the force’s Special Tactical Squad (STS) from Abuja, but his account was at variance with that of the polytechnic and the students.
While Oksanmi claimed that the STS team from Abuja who were on the trail of some cultists, Yunus Abdulkadir, the polytechnic’s Public Relations Officer said it was a clash between the police and Lajolo Community which had “nothing to do with their students and the campus”.
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The Police spokesman had said, “the pandemonium experienced today within the area arose as a result of the attack unleashed on a team of Police detectives from the Special Tactical Squad (STS) FIB, Abuja, who came on the trail of some cultists in the area”.
He added that, “In the ensuing inbroglio, students in their numbers came out to block the road and prevented free flow of traffic and burning tyres on the road.
“Recall that, cultists attacked and killed a student of Kwara State University, Malete yesterday 28/1/2022, Four of the cultists were arrested and dangerous weapons were recoverd from the suspects.
“Information available to the STS team indicated that some of the cultists were hiding at Lajolo area of Kwara Polytechnic Ilorin, where similar attack was unleashed on one student named Idris Aderemi by same cultists at about 0600hrs today 29/1/22, in the same area.
“This prompted the visit to the area by the STS team. Surprisingly, the cultists who were already in ambush, attacked the police team damaging the police Hummer bus and inflicting a gunshot injury on the head of one police Sergeant, Adebayo Abdulahi attached to the STS team”.
He, however, disclosed that “two cultists, one Ahmed ‘m’ surname unknown and one Musibau ‘m’ A.K.A Shaban were arrested with one fabricated English pistol with 3 live ammunition, 2 live cartridges and one pistol magazine.
“The injured policeman and the suspects have been taken to the hospital for treatment”, according to Okasanmi’s account.
But the Kwara State Polytechnic PRO, Abdulkadir’s account was that; “It is pertinent to clear the air that the Polytechnic Students are law abiding citizens and will not indulge in any illegal activity that will disrupt their academic careers.
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“Meanwhile, the incident that occurred at Lajolo community early this morning was between the Police and Lajolo community and has nothing to do with the Polytechnic Students or the Campus, as first semester CBT examinations are going on right now in the Campus without any disturbance.
“However, the management of the Polytechnic has magnanimously accepted the plea of the students who could not make it to the campus before the blockage at Oyun, to rescheduling their examinations on another date to be communicated to them via their heads of the Department”, he concluded.
Another account however insisted that the law enforcement officers that came to Lajolo Community by the Polytechnic gate were putting on the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) uniform and that when they shot, three students sustained gun wounds including the one that was hit by a stray bullet.
Only the police account last Saturday was the one confirming the bloody mayhem, gun shots and the arrests made including the victims’ treatment in the hospital.
