Residents Debunk Rumours Of Detainees Massacre By Ikotun Police Division DPO

Following alleged massacre of 15 Suspects in Detention, said to have been orchestrated by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Ikotun police Division, CSP Johnson Adagba, few hours to the burning down of the police Station by hoodlums, some Residents, Landlords and Shop owners have strongly come in defense of the embattled DPO, affirming that the story was the handiwork of rumor mongers and fake news peddlers. In a video and news said to be viral in the social media, including Twitter, facebook and Instagram, CSP Adagba, was alleged to have gone into ikotun police cell and shot and killed all the 15 suspects in the detention facility, few minutes to the razing down of the building housing the station. Some of the Instagram account projecting the rumours was said to have been identified.
A Major shop owner and sectional leader at the ikotun market, few meters away from the Police Station, who gave his name as Chief Offorkansi, debunked the news, confirming that he was at the station shortly after hoodlums burnt it down. His Words: ” You see there were many rumours, fake news and information immediately after the station was burnt. some even said that the DPO was killed, others said that he jumped out through the fence. It was because of the news that he deliberately killed all the suspects in cell, that made me risk my life to the place. when we got there, there was nothing like that. if he killed them, we would have seen the dead burnt bodies. I was worried until one of our friends detained called from Panti to confirm they were alive.
Another Resident and landlord, who gave his name as Mr. Vincent, frowned at the rumors ,which he said was” fake news from the pit of hell ” Alhaji Oyelewo Mustafa, who attributed the subsequent attacks on Police personnel in the area to such fake news , denied that the incident occurred at ikotun. “How can people carry such evil news against the DPO?, even if CSP Johnson Adagba is mad, could he have gone into the cell and start killing suspects that did nothing personally wrong to him. That would have been murder and extra Judicial killings. Thank God, such never happened, they criminal elements are behind the information, trying to tarnish his image “, he said.
However, Findings by ‘ News Planet International. Com ‘, confirmed that the 15 suspects, who were remanded at Ikotun Police Division Cell, before the #EndSARS protest which was hijacked by hoodlums, were actually moved to the Kirikiri Correctional Centre by the police hierarchy.
Indeed, the above confirmation was contrary to the rumour in the area, that CSP Adagba , shot and killed all the suspects inside the cell during the recent #EndSARS protest which later turned to violent.
It was learnt that it was this rumour which spread like wild fire, that ignited the hoodlums into burning down of the Police Station and subsequent looting by angry youths, which later took place in the area.
Our checks indicated that suspects were not killed inside cell by the Police.

Reliable Police Sources revealed that prior to the violence, that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, had directed all the Operational Heads and Divisions to move suspects in their custody to the State Criminal Intelligence And Investigation Department, SCIID,Panti, Yaba, Lagos, following intelligence that Suspects maybe forcefully released from cells by the angry mob.
The Operational Heads and DPOs at the various Divisions, were said to have promptly obeyed the directives of the the CP. While giving reasons why the Ikotun Police Division killings rumours emanated, another source told our Correspondent that some families who had their persons detained at ikotun, were alarmed that whereas they visited their wards in cell on October 20th evening, the following day, the station was raised down. with out the suspects returning home. ” The truth was that the DPO was very careful and meticulous in handling the situation, that I heard that he took the suspects away to police headquarters, ikeja , at about 1am early in the morning, from there, I also learnt that they were moved to Panti with the detention orders and probably because of space, the suspects were taken to the Correctional centre . ” It was the family of one of the detainees known as Alhaji Salami, who was said to have been detained for wife battering, that raised the false alarm of the killing, until the Man was released on bail by Court subsequently, ” the Source concluded
However, It was further gathered that while the suspects were transferred to the SCIID Panti, COVID-19 tests were conducted on them to ascertain their status before they were finally moved to Kirikiri pending their trial.
SP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, confirmed that the suspects were moved from Panti to Kirikiri. He denied the allegations of ex-judicial killing at Ikotun Division.
Meanwhile, Subsequent checks has indicated that some of the suspects have been arraigned before the Courts, while some families of the detained suspects have confirmed seeing their wards.