A youth group in Ipokia local government, Ogun State, on Tuesday claimed that about 100 residents of the area have died in the last five years, in a series of clashes with security agencies over smuggling activities.
The Acting Coordinator for the Youth Policy Forum, Deji Imoleayo, spoke yesterday shortly after members of the forum embarked on a peace walk to all the security divisional headquarters in the local government, in commemoration of Nigeria’s 59th Independence anniversary.
Imoleayo expressed concern on the lives and safety of residents of the border areas, between Nigeria and Benin Republic, who he said were being affected by the running battle between smugglers and security operatives.
“If we want to count the number of people that had been killed in this area in the last five years, it is more than 100. The problem is that many of the victims are many times not the offenders, but innocent people going about their daily businesses.
“We are passing a message here that though the security agencies must do their job, they should do it without shooting sporadically where innocent people reside,” he said.
Addressing the youths, the Divisional Police Officer of the Idi-Iroko Division, Sunday Opebiyi, urged the youths to never take the law into their hands, saying they must always report cases to the police.
“Make sure you are for peace. I know that with peace, there will be development,” Opebiyi said.
