Police arrest EndSARS protesters with guns, charms in Ogun

Etim Effiong

The police in Ogun State have arrested 23 members of ENDSARS protesters with guns and charms, when the protest which was meant to be peaceful turned violent.

The protesters who gathered in their hundreds as early as 7am at Panseke area of Abeokuta metropolis in continuation of their protest against SARS despite the advice from police command and other stakeholders to them to cancel the protest for fear of been hijacked by hoodlums and miscreants.

A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, on Sunday “Surprisingly, the protesters who were appealed to jointly by the Alake and Paramount ruler of Egba land and the commissioner of police left the Alake palace and headed the palace of Olowu where the traditional festival of Owu day was ongoing and violently disrupted the ceremony which have the former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the deputy governor Engineer Noimot Salako in attendance.

“They also damaged the back windshield of the deputy governor’s official car before heading to SARS office at Magbon where they fired some gunshots at the men and injured one Sgt Akabudike Augustine.

“Consequently, men of the outfit dispersed them and subsequently arrested 23 among them. Some of their vehicles abandoned at SARS office were recovered and searched. Three guns namely, one pump_ action, two locally made pistols, some rounds of ammunition and assorted charms were recovered in one of the vehicles with registration number Lagos KRD 551GJ.”

He said the commissioner of Police in the state has appealed to parents, community leaders and other stakeholders to call their wards to order because the command will not fold its arms while hoodlums will be unleashing violence on officers and men for just no reason.