Kwara State Police Command has denied sending its officers to demolish the structures on the revoked land of the late Dr Olusola Saraki carried out by the Kwara state government on Thursday.
The Command in a statement issued on Saturday night and signed by its Public Relations Officer, Ajayi Okasanmi, denied that its men fired live ammunition to people during the demolition.
It said, “The Command wishes to make it clear that as part of its safety and crime prevention strategies in ensuring a hitch-free celebrations during the Christmas and the New Year festivities, Police patrol vans were stationed at strategic points across the state, including Iloffa Road GRA, Ilorin on the 31/12/2019 being the new year eve. As was witnessed by all and sundry, the Christmas and new year celebrations were generally peaceful throughout the state.
“Our anti-crime deployment during this period has nothing to do with any demolition exercise in the state.
“It is therefore shocking to the Commissioner of Police to hear the news of policemen shooting life ammunition and firing teargas canisters at the scene of a demolition exercise.
“For the purpose of emphasis, the Command wishes to immediately dispel the insinuations that the men reported to have been firing indiscriminately during the demolition exercise were deployed by the Kwara state police command. No policeman was deployed for any demolition exercise anywhere in the state and no policeman deployed for anti-crime duties during the Christmas and New Year celebrations fired a single shot of ammunition or canister during this period.
“Consequently, the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Ag CP Kayode Egbetokun has immediately directed a full-scale investigation into this allegation.
“The Command hereby for the umpteen time wishes to reiterate the irrevocable commitment of the Commissioner of Police to the rule of law while making police service available and accessible to the people of Kwara State, please,” it stressed.
