Matilda Omonaiye/
Some members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) have been detained by the police for arresting a suspected Fulani criminal, Iskilu Wakili and allegedly setting his house on fire.
Wakili was reportedly linked with various cases of kidnapping in Iganna area of Oyo State, and the OPC leader who arrested him early today said that nobody was hurt during the operation.
There have been reports of complaints from farmers and residents of Ayete village about Wakili who was accused of displacing them from their farms. He was described as the leader of herdsmen in the area who have been accused of kidnapping, murder, rape, and seizure of farmlands.
But the police found Wakili to be a blind old man.
Despite the fact that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu had approached the OPC in 2019 and had an agreement on collaboration in crime fighting, the OPC members who arrested Wakili were allegedly nabbed at Igboora and taken to the state police headquarters in Ibadan.
Details of the arrest were given in a statement issued by the police today.
Oyo State police spokesman, CSP Fadeyi Olugbenga stated: “The Oyo State Police Command would like to inform the general public that at about 0900 hrs of date (7th March 2021), information was received that a group of persons, (later found out to be members of the Odua Peoples Congress- OPC), had invaded Kajola community in Ibarapa axis of the State. The invasion was reportedly aimed at arresting one Wakili, a Fulani by tribe, who is alleged to be the sponsor and mastermind of various criminal attacks against the people/farmers of Yoruba origin in the community.
“The State Commissioner of Police has quickly moved into action and preliminary findings revealed that some OPC members went to Kajola community in Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State. While there, the house of the Wakili in question was set ablaze, while a female (the identity of who is yet to be ascertained) was burnt in the fire and Wakili (about 75 years old and blind) with two (2) other persons were picked up. The three (3) of them are presently in the custody of the Police. The Commissioner of Police has directed that Wakili (due to his frail appearance and state of health) be moved to the hospital, while others are being interrogated. Others being interrogated are the OPC members, involved in arson and murder.
“Meanwhile, the Oyo State Police Command wishes to inform the general public that any person or group of persons from any region or tribe that has been found culpable to have committed any criminal act(s) in the State would not be spared, but would be arrested and dealt with according to extant laws.
“Therefore, it is worthy of note that the good people of Oyo State and the general public should be rest assured that the officers and men in the Command would not derelict in its duty to bring to book criminal elements arrested for any infringement on the laws of the land, as adequate security measures have been emplaced against anything untoward while soliciting credible information from members of the public to enable the Police and other Security Agencies clampdown on crime and criminality in the State. In conclusion, anybody that has any case against Iskilu Wakili should report it to the State Criminal Investigation Department, (CID) Iyaganku Ibadan for discreet Investigation.”
The OPC leadership claimed that three members were arrested today.
Adedeji Oluwole, the OPC sector coordinator who led his men and other vigilante groups to arrest Wakili, said the suspect was nabbed early today.
Oluwole, the Federal Capital Territory OPC coordinator, who is also an indigene of Igboora, said he relocated four months ago to Ayete to bring Wakili to book after security agencies failed to arrest him.
The OPC leader said it took over four days of continued operations and surveillance to nab Wakili and three of his accomplices.
According to Oluwole, more than 10 OPC members went on the mission. He said Wakili’s men shot fiercely at the OPC operatives before they were eventually nabbed.
He, however, expressed shock that the police detained three of his men after they handed over Wakili.
“We took Wakili and the three others from Igangan to Igboora and handed them over to the DPO at Igboora. The name of the DPO is Ajayi Mark. As I am talking to you, they have taken them to Iyaganku at the State CID in Ibadan with three of my boys,” Oluwole reportedly told The PUNCH on Sunday afternoon.
He said, “When we took Wakili to the police this morning, the police said we should take Wakili to the hospital first which we refused to because we are not in a position to do that. We told the police that they have been complaining all these days that they wanted to arrest Wakili and now we have brought Wakili to their doorstep, they should take over.
“Nobody touched Wakili, nobody hurt him, and there are no traces of any hurt on him. He is an old man and we had promised the whole world that we won’t hurt them but we would arrest them for the whole world to see who is Wakili because all these while, he has been a faceless person, nobody knows him. We didn’t beat him or harm him. When we nabbed him, we put him inside a vehicle and handed him over to the police.
“The DPO then said he got a signal from the CP (Commissioner of Police) in Iyaganku. They have taken three of my men to Iyaganku now.”
Meanwhile, the OPC has been receiving congratulatory messages from various groups over the arrest of Wakili.
The Yoruba Socio-Cultural Group, Afenifere issued a statement commending OPC over Wakilu’s arrest.
The National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, stated: “The Afenifere gives tremendous commendation to OPC under Iba Gani Adams for the arrest of Iskilu Wakilu, a Fulani bandit who has been spreading terror on people in Igboho area and the Nigerian police and other security agencies unable to do anything about him.
“The early morning peaceful arrest confirms our position on how effective local initiative can do well in homeland security.
“We were not shocked that but for the intervention by the leadership in Oyo State, the police would have gone after the OPC boys instead of taking the criminal from them and do the needful.
“Nigeria is going nowhere with a security network that shuns federalism.
“Well done, OPC.”
The International Alliance for Justice and Peace (IAJP) in a statement signed by Dr Seun Kolade congratulated the OPC men for “their exceptional courage matched only by great discipline in their latest intervention in the Ibarapa area of Oyo State.
The group stated: “On Saturday, 6th March 2021, the men of OPC effected the arrest of one Wakili, a notorious leader of a violent gang that has unleashed terror on the people of Ibarapa for many months, paralyzing economic activities and leaving many residents maimed and dead, and billions of property destroyed in his wake.
“The OPC completed this operation without any bloodshed to the alleged gang leader and members, even in the face of utmost provocation in which gang members shot several times at the OPC members. In carrying out this operation with such rare discipline, the OPC has not only inspired hope among the long suffering residents of the beleaguered community, it has also laid down a high standard for cooperation between citizens and police and security forces in the collective effort to tackle the menace of gang violence terrorism across Yorubaland.
“Tragically, however, we are horrified to hear reports that men of the Nigerian police have arrested four members of the heroic OPC team that commendably and impeccably effected the apprehension of the deadly Wakilu and his men! This alleged act is an outrageous assault on the sensibilities of all men and women of goodwill, not only across Yorubaland but anywhere in the world! It is an established and acceptable principle of law that citizens have the right to, and are in fact encouraged to apprehend individual or individuals who have committed or are in the process of committing indictable or felonious acts, the likes of those Wakilu and his men have been accused. Citizen arrest, especially when carried out with utmost regards to the requirement of the law as exemplified by the men of the OPC in this present matter, is not only commendable, it is also a charitable community act that should be encouraged.
“We call on the police high command to investigate this reported incident, as it undermines the working synergy that should exist between the police and neighborhoods’ security stakeholders. It also validates the perception that the Buhari-led Nigerian security forces are outdoing themselves to confirm long held suspicions that it is complicit in the campaign of terror currently ravaging Yorubaland. If not convincingly rebutted, it would essentially further set a dangerous message that restraint and cooperation with security agencies is not a viable option for law abiding citizens who only want to live their lives in peace.
“It is now imperative and urgent for the security forces to correct this impression taking hold among the populace before peoples’ minds are closed up on the growing image of security agencies as champions of terror. The minimum action required to address this negative impression is not just to either convincingly rebut the accusation, or mete out the right punitive actions on the officers responsible for this breach of the rules of official engagement, infringement of the fundamental rights of citizens to arrest offenders of the law, and worsening of optics for an already discredited government, but to immediately expedite action on the prosecution of Wakili and his gangs!
“Finally, we strongly believe that this well-coordinated engagement that had culminated in this bloodless arrest brings to the fore the need to further legitimise local security initiatives of communities. It reinforces the need to adopt a multi-tier policing system in our national security architecture if we were any determined about restoring our territorial integrity.”
The Yorùbá Summit Group also issued a statement on Wakili’s arrest.
The statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo, says: “The operation as carried out by the members of the Oòduà Peoples Congress, is yet another indication of the resolve of the people of the southwest to rid their land of intruders, terrorists and criminals lurking in our forests.
“We commend in no uncertain terms, the Gallant efforts of our Disciplined, Committed, and resourceful OPC operatives for this bloodless venture.
“We therefore call on the Law enforcement agencies to which both Wakili and the matter have been deposited into their care, to do their job, consciously and conscientiously!
“And yet another subtle reminder that if any such criminal should so decide to hide on our forests to perpetuate evil, our forests also are possessed of the bona fide, to swallow these criminals up.
“To that safely universal, international norm, we are so addressed and determined to process, and then deliver.”
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