The police in Ogun State have revealed that over 30 persons have been arrested in connection with Monday riot in Sagamu, which left at least four bank branches, including First Bank, Union bank and Polaris bank attacked in Sabo area of the town by protesters.
The Sagamu Local Government Secretariat was also not spared as the protesters stormed the place and attacked its facilities.
The LGA furniture and documents were overturned table and scattered with some of the files hurled into the open.
Police spokesman in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi said normalcy had been restored to the troubled town through efforts coordinated by the Commissioner of Police, Frank Mbah.
“Normalcy has been restored in greater parts of Sagamu now. CP Frank Mba is personally leading police teams and some military men to tackle the situation
“Normalcy has been restored in Sagamu, not less than 30 suspects have been arrested so far and they have been transferred to State Criminal Investigation Departments on the order of the Commissioner of Police CP Frank Mba.
“Meanwhile, combine team of Policemen and military men are on ground to monitor the situation,” Oyeyemi said.
Meanwhile, Ogun state government has blamed the opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in the state of being behind the riot.
Kunle Somorin , Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun, made this known in a statement on Monday evening.
The statement reads, “Early this morning, a politically motivated violent protest took place in Sagamu during which innocent people, banks and public infrastructures were attacked by some disgruntled members of the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), whose members and some of the party’s candidates were seen leading the demonstration.
While the protests was purportedly against the “scarcity of naira notes”, the real intention of these elements became obvious with the involvement of the known PDP members.
It is on record that the campaign tour of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which moved through Simawa to Ogijo and back to Sagamu, where two road were commissioned yesterday, ended without any hitch. The APC rally was attended by tens of thousands of people at different locations, lasting from about 8.00 am in the morning and 8.00pm in the evening without any violence, quarrel or disagreements whatsoever.
We believe strongly that it was the success of the APC rally of yesterday that got the feeble opposition PDP frustrated and therefore made their members to embark on the mindless destruction of properties.
The Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has been on top of the fallouts of the naira re-design issues. The Governor had visited the Central Bank headquarters in Abeokuta and some other commercial Banks’s branches, met with the bankers forum , met with Mr President alongside with other Progressive Governors and made a state broadcast to empathize with Ogun people with a reassurance that efforts are on to ameliorate the negative impacts of the implementation of the CBN policy on the people.
Attacks on innocent people and destruction of private and public properties cannot solve the current problem but will rather worsen the situation. Therefore, we must not allow desperate politicians to mislead members of the public and use them as cannon to vent frustration.
THIS IS NOT WHO WE ARE, WE ARE OMOLUABIS . We are the MOST PEACEFUL STATE IN NIGERIA AND THE INDUSTRIAL CAPITAL OF THE COUNTRY.
Our people should exercise patience and be law abiding, while waiting to cast their votes to the party that has stood by the populace even at this critical period.
Our Law enforcement team are already investigating this unfortunate development and any persons directly or indirect culpable will face the full wrath of the law no matter how highly placed.”
But reacting, the Ogun State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) denied the allegations by the state government that the party was responsible for the riot.
The State Chairman of the PDP, Sikirulahi Ogundele, said the outburst of the state government attested to its sense of irresponsibility and insensitivity to the plights of Ogun residents.
Ogundele, who described the allegations as “spurious” from the ruling APC) said the party has failed Nigerians and the people of Ogun State.
“The ruling party has failed the people and they are now reacting to the untoward hardship its policies had brought on them. Can they say that PDP was behind the protests in Oyo, Ondo and other states? Nigerians are just reacting. Instead of the ruling party to own up to Nigerians that their policies have brought hardship and pains on them, they are busy shifting blame on the opposition party.
” For the records, PDP has nothing to do with the protests in Sagamu or anywhere in the state. Let them go and check themselves. They are disconnected from the people. The should put their failure on the PDP. They are disorganized and it is rubbing on their faces now that people are ready to vote them out of office, starting from this Saturday,” Ogundele stated
