As fresh crisis brew in the state following some council chairmen refusal to vacate office at the end of their tenures, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu has threatened to arrest and prosecute troublemakers.
This is as some young barricaded the entrances of some local government council secretariats in the state on Monday morning denying council staff including chairmen access.
The youths said the council chairmen and councilors must vacate their secretariats as their three-year term came to an end on June 17.
In a bid to forestall any breakdown of law and order, the CP warned individuals against taking the laws into their own hands, emphasising that anyone found breaking the law would face the full wrath of the law.
Speaking to newsmen, at the State Police Command headquarters on Monday, Disu
assured the public of the Police commitment to maintaining law and order, declaring his readiness to protect lives and property in the face of ongoing tensions.
The state police chief, in a passionate appeal, urged parents to caution their children against getting involved in the crisis, warning that they should not be used as “cannon fodder.”
He said: “My job as a police policeman protect lives and property. And that is what we have gone out to do since morning.
“We are aware of the crisis that has to do with the tenure of the Local Government Chairmen and we have gotten one court order or the other, and the court of Appeal has given an order for everybody to exercise restraints till the 20th of this month, just three days.
“So we expect everybody to respect it and not take laws into their hands and allow peace to continue as it is.”
Disu further assured that his officers are working round the clock to safeguard the property and lives of residents of the State.
He added: “Sincerely you know our officers have been out for the past three days.
“I just finished addressing them and I thank them for the good job they have done and because they have been out since 4 Am, and they just came back, we are not taking it lightly, we are ready to go, our officers have been on a show of force and we have had additional men given to us from the Headquarters, the equipment has been serviced and we are ready to go.
“This is just to assure members of the public that so far as we are concerned we are ready to do our jobs of protecting lives and property.
“We have warned anybody who would want to take laws into their own hands. I want to use this opportunity to talk to parents to call their children to order and talk to them so that their children will not be used as cannon folds in this crisis.
“Everything that has to do with government property and every human being in this community would be protected.”