The recent outbreak of violent civil unrest in the popular Ojoo community within Akinyele Local Government Area is a deeply unsettling incident that demands our collective reflection and immediate, decisive de-escalation. According to the official preliminary findings released by the Oyo State Police Command, this tragic disturbance was triggered by an attempted robbery at a Point-of-Sale (POS) outlet, which unfortunately degenerated into a fatal incident of jungle justice and subsequent reprisal attacks. I am profoundly saddened by the loss of lives and the disruption of commercial peace in an area known as a vital economic hub in Ibadan. No matter the level of provocation or structural frustration, the destruction of lives and properties within our communities can never be justified, and it breaks my heart that our streets became a theater of chaos.
 
As the Oyo State Police Command explicitly clarified in their official statement, we must stick strictly to the verified facts of the matter and completely reject the dangerous narratives being spun by merchants of discord. Criminality is an isolated, individual act; it has absolutely no ethnic, tribal, or communal identity. To artificially inject tribal colouring into an incident that began as a straightforward criminal infraction is a reckless disservice to the peaceful coexistence that different groups have enjoyed in Ibadanland for generations. I highly commend the prompt, tactical deployment of a combined team of security operatives—including the Police, the military, and the Amotekun Corps—whose swift intervention successfully brought the situation under control and prevented a wider escalation.
 
This unfortunate incident reinforces the urgent necessity of the message I have consistently championed regarding our grassroots security architecture. While I strongly commend the police for already arresting four key suspects connected to the unrest, we must recognise that maintaining sustainable peace requires deep-seated institutional trust. We must completely eradicate the culture of jungle justice from our society. The Police Command's warning against citizens taking the law into their own hands must be strictly heeded. For law enforcement to be truly effective and proactive, our local communities must serve as partners—willingly handing over suspects for lawful investigation and prosecution rather than resorting to emotional, destructive mob actions that put the entire state at risk.
 
Beyond immediate policing, the Ojoo crisis speaks to the critical intersection between socio-economic stability and grassroots security. The Oyo State of our dreams and desire is one where structural safety is intentionally built from the ground up. This means that as we advance toward a progressive administration, our leadership must heavily prioritise the economic engagement of our young people, robust community policing frameworks, and the deployment of technological surveillance in hyper-commercial zones like Ojoo. When our youth are productively engaged and our local leadership structures, including traditional and community heads, are structurally empowered to mediate disputes before they erupt into violence, we successfully starve criminal elements of the chaotic environment they need to thrive.
 
I passionately appeal to all residents of Ojoo, Akinyele Local Government, and Oyo State at large to remain perfectly calm, law-abiding, and deeply cooperative with the ongoing security protocols. Let us allow the State Criminal Investigation Department and other commissioned authorities to carry out full judicial mandate so that every single person found culpable faces the absolute weight of the law. We must refuse to let isolated criminal acts divide us or disrupt the peace of our dear state. Let us sheathe all emotional weapons, embrace dialogue, and stand united behind our security leadership to ensure that harmony, progress, and safety continue to define the beautiful heritage of Oyo State.
 
~ Dr. Adewale Kolapo Kareem (AKK)
Former Oyo State Governorship Aspirant
APC… PROGRESS!
AKK! Aseyori ni tiwa
AKK!! Ajọṣe, Ajoje
AKK!!! A Task That Must Be Done.
Friday, July 10 2026