Armed robbers had on Thursday waylaid the van, killing a yet-to-be ascertained number of people.
Human rights and pro-democracy group, Take It Back Movement (TIB), Oyo State chapter, has condemned in strong terms the attack on a bullion van in the Idi-Ape area of Ibadan, the state capital.
Armed robbers had on Thursday waylaid the van, killing a yet-to-be ascertained number of people.
The incident also forced several motorists to abandon their vehicles and run for safety.
Reacting in a statement signed by the State Coordinator, Emiola Solomon, TIB urged the police to be diligent in its investigation.
The group also blamed Governor Seyi Makinde for the insecurity in the state.
The statement read, “The Take It Back Movement condemns the robbery at Idi Ape, Iwo road in Ibadan. The robbery of a bullion van which left police officers and citizens killed and others injured is an eye sore and a gory sight to behold.
“We sympathise with families and loved ones of the deceased and wish them fortitude to bear the irreplaceable losses.
“We in the TIB believe that the recurring spate of insecurities in the state has been unveiling in different forms; from massacres to street fights to broad day robberies. These incidents have all been leaving innocent citizens dead or injured while others tremble in fear.
“We recall that last year, same Iwo road was on rampage over fights among car park workers and transport workers leaving people dead. Today it is public panic resulting from such a fierce robbery.
“We cannot but put these blames at the doors of those who are meant to provide security in the state; that is the state government led by Governor Seyi Makinde. We believe that if protest actions were to take place, a battalion of armed men and vehicles would have been stationed to confront harmless and outnumbered protesters.
“Meanwhile, when real insecurities arise, these forces are usually not enough or nowhere to be found. This is the style of operation everywhere in Nigeria.
“We also believe that the rate of unemployment vis a vis skyrocketing cost of living in Ibadan and its environs cannot be disconnected as a trigger to many insecurities that are arising and even yet to arise. The robbery at Idi Ape is only a pronounced one amidst the silent ones that have been taking place in the state.
“While we charge the government to pay attention to the porous security in the state, we also call for adequate compensation to the families of the deceased and injured persons at the scene.
“The police officers, in the country, who in the bid to feed themselves and families, have always been victims of insecurities created by an unjust and highly unsecured economy in the first place. They die protecting the wealth and status of the government and powerful, they do this amidst their meagre salaries and crude weapons.
“Lastly, we call on Nigerians to organise to fight for a working system where their lives and property can be guaranteed, not where the ruling elite only appropriate security and public wealth to themselves and leaving the masses to their fate.”