Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has announced the closure of schools in Ibadan, the state capital following the continued #EndSARS protests in the state.
Governor Makinde made the announcement in a statewide broadcast on Tuesday stating that the administration had deployed officials of the Operation Burst to protect protesters.
The governor, who described peaceful protests as important part of democratic process, stated, “We deployed members of Operation Burst to protect protesters. And we are happy to report that there have been no cases of disruptions of protest grounds in Oyo State since they started work.
“The past two days had 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 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.
“We are deploying members of 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.
“We remain committed to the process of meeting the demands of these protests. Already, as promised, the Director of Public Prosecution, Ministry of Justice, Oyo State, has withdrawn cases against #EndSARS protesters and those in custody have been released.”
According to him, the Oyo State Government has set up platforms for reporting incidents of police brutality and injustice.
“I have directed that all schools in Ibadan should be closed from tomorrow, Wednesday, October 21 for the rest of this week. The situation will be reviewed on Friday, October 23 and then further directives will be given,” he said.
He urged those in emergency situations to call 615 saying no one should disrupt legitimate business activities the state. The governor said, “We will continue to seek ways to engage with peaceful protesters.
“Our plan is that in the shortest possible time, we can finally say the days of large-scale and wanton police brutality and injustice is a thing of the past.
“Let me also use this opportunity to call on members of the Nigeria Police Force to remain professional in the discharge of their duties as they will be held responsible for their actions.”
