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of the Operation Burst, a security outfit put in place by the Oyo State
government, fired tear gas on protesting residents of Apete in Ido
Local Government Area of Oyo State.
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The
protest was orhestrated by the collapse of
a makeshift bridge that links the community to other parts of Ibadan
City which many of them attributed to the slow pace of work by the state
government on the construction of a new bridge since the collapse of
the old one during the August 2011, flood in which many lives were lost.
Although,
none of the men of the Operation Burst, was willing to speak with the
Nigerian Tribune, on why they were on ground, but a source among the
crowd informed that they were there to prevent people from moving closer
to the river in order to avert further tragedy.
In
the process of maintaining law and order around the area, an
unidentified man, was injured and taken to the hospital for treatment
following the release of teargas and shooting of gun into the air by the
security personnel to disperse protesting residents who are demanding
prompt action from the Oyo State government on the construction of a new
bridge.
The
source further informed that:”I think men of the Operation Burst fired
the tear gas and fired gun into the air to disperse the crowd,
particularly, the area boys present at the scene who may want to take
the advantage of the protest to perpetrate criminal act.”
A
volunteer, who controls traffic on the bridge, Mr Jonathan Chukwudi,
while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on the Saturday evening flood
which washed away some residents of the area, informed that the incident
occurred when the rain stopped around 7:00p.m. he said: “The whole
thing happened about 30 minutes after the rain had stopped.
It was gathered that the people living in Chibok town had also fled their homes, following the news of the attacks in Kwada and Kautikari.
