Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has directed the immediate closure of all schools in Ibadan beginning from Wednesday, 21 October, 2020, in view of the prolonged #EndSARS protests rocking the state capital.
The governor, in a state broadcast, stated that the closure of the schools will be reviewed on Friday, October 23, 2020.
The governor equally announced the deployment of operatives of the ‘Operation Burst,’ a state-backed security outfit comprising soldiers, men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Police, to all flash points of violence in Ibadan to restore normalcy and maintain peace.
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He further explained that the decision to close schools and deploy men of the ‘Operation Burst’ was a result of the new dimension the ongoing #EndSARS protest was taking, adding that hoodlums have started taking advantage of the protests to harass citizens, perpetrate uncivil acts and disturb residents from carrying out their legitimate businesses.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that Governor Makinde further noted that operatives of the ‘Operation Burst’ would continue to be on ground to protect legitimate and peaceful protesters, warning, however, that the state would not allow unscrupulous elements to hijack the protests and terrorise residents of the state.
He maintained that as part of the state government’s determination to protect peaceful protesters, it had earlier deployed operatives of the ‘Operation Burst’ to certain parts of the state to protect protesters, saying that the development enabled the protesters to express their legitimate grievances unhindered.
He asked residents of the state to dial the state’s emergency code 615 in the case of anyone trying to foment trouble or bar them from carrying out their legitimate businesses.
According to the governor, his government has shown that it is committed to redeeming the pledges he made while addressing the protesters last week, adding that as he promised, the Ministry of Justice of the state has withdrawn cases against arrested #EndSARS protesters, while those in custody have been released.
READ ALSO: #EndSARS: Oyo Police Command Denies Shooting Protesters
He added that the government has also set up platforms for reporting past and present incidents of police brutality and injustice, urging residents of the state to trust the process and rest, assured that justice would be done, rather than resorting to violence, which, he said, could be counter-productive to the cause of the protests against police brutality.
The governor said: “I address you at this time to talk about some of the issues that have been thrown up by the EndSARS protests in Oyo State. I have always said that peaceful protests are an important part of our democratic process, and that no one should be harassed or brutalised for protesting.
“However, the past two days have seen a new dimension to the ongoing protests. Thugs and hoodlums have taken advantage of the situation to perpetrate uncivil acts and harass citizens who are going about their day-to-day activities. Some thugs are going as far as forcing people who have businesses open to close shop and join in the protests. We know these are criminal elements. And so, as a state, we must act to protect the citizenry.
“Therefore, we are deploying members of the ‘Operation Burst’ to various hotspots in Ibadan to arrest the situation and restore normalcy. The members of the team will continue to protect genuine protesters and their right to protest. But we cannot allow persons with ulterior motives to hijack the protests.
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