The Oyo State police command has said it restored normalcy to the Strabag area of Ojoo in Ibadan following an incident, which triggered public disturbance on Wednesday.

A statement on Thursday by the command’s spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, said preliminary investigation showed that at about 11:30 p.m. on July 7, four young men arrived at a Point of Sale (POS) terminal in the Strabag area on a commercial tricycle to purchase mobile data and allegedly attempted to dispossess the POS operator of his mobile during the transaction.

The police spokesman said the victim’s outcry attracted members of the public, who apprehended one of the suspects, identified as Abeeb Olajide, while the other three fled the scene.

Mr Olayinka said the apprehended suspect was severely assaulted by the mob before he was rescued, rushed to a nearby medical facility and was later transferred to the State Hospital in Moniya, where he was confirmed dead while receiving treatment.

The spokesman said the incident led to tension within the community, as some aggrieved groups mobilised for a reprisal, resulting in a breakdown of law and order in the axis.

He said the state Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, upon being briefed, directed the deployment of adequate operational and tactical assets to the affected area.

He stated that the command reinforced to the affected area with additional operatives drawn from various formations across the state, following the presence of large groups armed with dangerous weapons at the scene of the incident.

Mr Olayinka stated, “The command also worked in close collaboration with the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Western Nigeria Security Network (Amotekun). Their coordinated response successfully restored normalcy, prevented further escalation, and ensured that no additional lives were lost at the scene of the disturbance.”

The spokesman said an individual identified as Kamorudeen Abdulrasheed, whose identity is still being investigated, reportedly died from injuries allegedly sustained during the unrest.

He added that officials of the Oyo State Fire Service were promptly contacted to extinguish the fire ignited by the mob on six makeshift shops containing picked and condemned plastic materials in the area.

The command noted that four suspects were arrested in connection with the incident and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku.

The police said that a comprehensive investigation had commenced to unravel the circumstances surrounding the attempted robbery, the mob action, the ensuing public disturbance and related acts of criminality linked to the incident.

The command also condemned the act of jungle justice and warned members of the public against disregarding the law under any circumstances, noting that any apprehended suspect should always be handed over to the police for lawful investigation and prosecution.

It urged residents to remain calm, peaceful and law-abiding, tasking community leaders, youth groups and other stakeholders to prevent criminals from exploiting the incident to foment ethnic or communal unrest.

“Adequate security measures have been placed across the affected area and other strategic locations within the metropolis to forestall any further breakdown of law and order,” the command stated.

It added that persons found culpable in connection with the incident would face the full weight of the law.