This was contained in a statement made available by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso in Ibadan, the state capital, on Monday.
Oyefeso said, “In as much the command respects the right of citizens to a peaceful procession, it is confident that in line with its statutory mandate, the lives and property of all will be protected from unscrupulous elements who might want to hijack the process for their own personal criminal agenda.
“To this end, CP Adebola has directed Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, and all tactical commanders to personally lead confidence-building patrols around every nook and cranny of the state to include but not limited to critical infrastructure, media houses, government institutions, correctional facilities, banks, places of worship, recreational centres, public spaces, and even routes charted for the peaceful protest, with a view to maintaining public order.
“Also, he re-assured the residents about the command’s readiness to tackle any possible threat from the exercise. It enjoins parents, guardians and leaders of all degrees of influence to prevail on their children, wards and protegés against being used by agents of anarchy who would want to take undue advantage of the situation to destroy the relative peace enjoyed in the state.”
He, however, allayed the fears of the residents towards heavy convoy patrols in major parts of the city in the company of heavy deployment of the command’s operational, intelligence, and tactical assets.
