There was tension in Adekile Goodwill area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, following the killing of a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and two others.
It was gathered that the killings occurred after the discovery of a kidnappers’ den in a house in the area.
The Nation gathered that a child, who had been reported missing several days ago, was found in the underground apartment of the house.
The police were said to have been alerted to the development, which led to the arrest of the owner of the building.
The incident reportedly angered the youth in the community and they mobilised to destroy the building.
But the police were said to have prevented them.
This further infuriated the youth and they resorted to stoning the policemen. In the melee, a policeman and two others were killed.
An eyewitness said: “The angry youths were many but the policemen were very few.
“I learnt that they killed a policeman. The police also killed two youths in retaliation.”
Soldiers have been drafted in the community. The irate youths were also said to have attacked the soldiers before they were dispersed with teargas.
Police spokesman Adekunle Ajisebutu confirmed that some suspects have been arrested.
He said:”I am not entitled to talk yet about the situation. The commissioner will brief the press when due, because any information released now may jeopardise the investigation.”
Governor Abiola Ajimobi appealed to the people to avoid violence and disruption of peace.
He spoke when he and the Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Katsina, visited the area.
When the governor and his entourage got to the scene, three buildings had been vandalised and set ablaze.
Katsina said: “The slain police officer went to Adekile in response to a distress call by a resident, who alleged that her baby was kidnapped and kept inside a building at Adekile.
“The DPO visited the area and inspected the building in question but could not find anything related to the lodged complaint.
“As he was explaining to the youth to remain calm, the DPO was attacked and shot in the head.
“The DPO, being a gallant officer before he fell to the miscreants’ bullets, also managed to fire at his attacker, who also died on the way to the hospital.”
He reiterated the commitment of the Force to ensure that all the perpetrators were arrested.