The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has ordered immediate deployment of four units of riot policemen to address the violence in parts of Oyo State.
The intervention and stabilization forces also include Force Intelligence Bureau operatives and one surveillance helicopter from the Police Air Wing department.
Oyo State has been lately wrapped by violence, including the killings of farmers by suspected herdsmen, abductions and clashes between some Hausa and Yoruba traders at Shasha market.
Force Spokesman, CP Frank Mba, in a statement, yesterday, said the operatives would reclaim the public space, reinforce security and bolster public confidence in the areas affected by the crisis.
He said: “The deployments, consisting largely of intelligence and operational assets of the Force, include four units of the Police Mobile Force, seasoned operatives from the Force Intelligence Bureau and one operational/surveillance police helicopter from the police Air-wing department.
“The intervention force is being coordinated by a Deputy Inspector General of Police, David Folawiyo, who is expected to mobilize all relevant stakeholders towards achieving the mandate of the squad.”
The statement said the IG assured that the force was committed to the safety of the lives and properties of the citizens in the country and called on residents of Oyo State and other Nigerians to embrace peace and cooperate with the police and the security community “as they redouble their efforts in ensuring that sustainable peace and security are restored to the affected areas.”
Meanwhile, feuding parties in the crisis that engulfed Shasha area of Ibadan in Akinyele Local Government area at the weekend have started counting their losses after normalcy returned to the trouble spots.