Worried by increasing use of small arms by students of tertiary institutions in the country, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, has warned parents and guardians not to allow their wards to be used by politicians and other groups to foment trouble.
Ehindero, who also said police investigations into the murder of Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial front runner, Chief Funso Williams, were yet to throw up the killers, spoke in Kano at the passing out parade of Police Cadets and warned that the force would deal decisively with criminals who paraded the streets as students.
He told THISDAY last night that recent arrests by the police showed that students might have become recruits for political violence.
He said 15 students from Auchi Polytechnic in Edo State who were travelling to Anambra State were arrested at the weekend with 15 pistols and other dangerous weapons.
Six more students, he added, were also arrested in Osogbo with six pistols and 30 kilogrammes of drugs suspected to be cannabis.
” This is really alarming. It is worrisome that students now carry pistols, dangerous weapons and commit crimes while the parents are not expressing worry. We can’t fold our arms and allow this to continue. We are not going to spare any student caught with arms,� he warned.
The IGP said that as the countdown to 2007 gathered momentum, the Police needed to be more vigilant, saying that since the gruesome murder of Williams there was the need to extend the searchlight on all fronts so as to ensure that all nooks and crannies were covered before any conclusion could be drawn.
He said: �Coming out with a substantial evidence will be as a result of our major effort
“Look, we can not conclude hastily on the killers. We have to really dig deep and find out the possible links to the killing. It is an ongoing investigation but I must tell you that this a real challenge. Nothing is impossible at this stage, and we must get to the root of the matter.�
THISDAY, however, gathered last night that the report of the autopsy conducted on Williams by the London Metropolitan Police and their Nigerian counterparts in Lagos last week might be ready before the burial on Thursday.
Meanwhile Williams� Ikoyi home continued to play hosts to high profile sympathizers who asked the Federal Government to ensure that his killers were brought to justice.
His campaign group, the l Funso William Campaign Organisation (WILCO) also made the call yesterday at the service of songs arranged for him.
Chairman of the group, Dr. Funso Adetiba, who spoke on behalf of the group, said the killers were evildoers who must be allowed to be free to roam the streets, warning that they might do a similar thing to other innocent Nigerians.
Former Information Minister, Chief Alex Akinyele, while commiserating with the members of the family said the government should identify the needs of Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for proper and adequate discharge of duties.
He said: “If the government provides their needs there will no be room for failure in discharging their various duties at any point in time”.
President of Non-indigenes Union of Lagos State, Dr. Ifennyi Osakwe, describe the slain politician as a detribalized Nigerian.
He said his members were deeply pained by the murder, saying Williams donated the union�s office to it.
The wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Titilayo Atiku, said prayed to God to grant his soul eternal rest.
Others dignitaries that visited the Williams yesterday were, the Nasarawa State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Adamu, Hon. Atilola Olawale from the Oyo State House of Assembly and Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu.
Meanwhile, Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Chief Rauf Aregbesola, was yesterday arrested in Lagos by the police for the weekend clash in Osogbo between his supporters and the followers of the Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
Aregbesola was arrested yester night at his resident and immediately taken to the state Command Police Headquarters for interrogation over the violence that marred the Osogbo Oroki Day in the Osun State capital.
The commissioner, who is also a gubernatorial front runner of the Alliance for Democracy in Osun State, got into the police net hours after 10 others had been arrested in Osogbo.
According to the Osun State Command Public Relations Officer, ASP. Joshua Olayemi, more arrests are expected as investigations progress.
Aregbesola�s supporters were yesterday seen converging for a meeting at his official campaign office along Gbongan – Osogbo Road to fine tune strategies to avert further crisis before the next general election in order not to jeopardize their plans for the number seat in the state.
It would be recalled that similar incident happened at Ile-Ife last week when another governorship aspirant, Senator Iyiola Omisore�s, followers and Ambassador Gunju Adesankin, who was believed to be Oyinlola’s supporter, unleashed terror on each other.
At the weekend no fewer than 10 people were said to have been wounded in the clash between the governor’s and the Lagos State commissioner�s supporters more than twelve vehicles were damaged.
The clash, which happened at Osogbo City Hall, saw political thugs using dangerous weapons such as guns, cutlasses, knives, broken bottles, and stones freely.
The programme organised by the Osogbo Progressive Union tagged “Oroki Day” was midway when violent erupted for several hours.
Trouble started when Aregbesola who was one of the guest launcher at the occasion arrived the venue of the programme while Oyinlola and his deputy Erelu Olusola Obada, Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Oyewole Matanmi II and other dignitaries were already seated on the high table.
The Ataoja has since intervened and pleaded with Aregbesola and Oyinlola supporters to avoid what could lead to chaos in the state.
Meanwhile, the Oranmiyan Group has charged the Police to do ballistic probe of Oyinlola�s guard weapons last Saturdays attack on the Leader of the group, Engineer Rauf Aregbesola, saying that it was a sad development which ballistic analysis must be comprehensively probed by the Nigeria Police in order to unravel the circumstances behind it.
” We demand from the police to carry out a comprehensive ballistic analyses of all guns supplied to Oyinlola�s security aides so as to know how many live bullets were fired at Aregbesola and his supporters. If the police can do this, our assertion would have been tested and verified”.
According to a statement signed by the Director of Publicity of the Group, Mr. Gbenga Fayemiwo “We demand this probe so as to allow the police do their legitimate job and prove that they are up to the task. A situation whereby members of Oranmiyan are randomly arrested and declared villains in order to please Governor Oyinlola is not acceptable in this democratic and constitutional republic”.
Aug72006