Oyo: Commuters stranded as community protests kidnapping, banditry

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Scores of residents on Tuesday staged a protest that disrupted vehicular and human movement at the Jobele end of the Ibadan–Oyo Expressway in Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State over rising cases of kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities.

The protesters blocked the busy highway, causing traffic gridlock and drawing attention to the growing insecurity in the area.

A PUNCH Metro investigation revealed that the protest was triggered by the recent invasion of one of the communities by suspected kidnappers.

The protesters alleged that the attackers attempted to abduct a woman on Monday, but she narrowly escaped by scaling a fence.

“Yesterday (Monday), suspected kidnappers invaded one of our communities in an attempt to abduct a lady. She managed to escape by scaling the fence, but she sustained a deep machete cut on one of her hands,” one of the protesters said.

He added that the incident was not the first in the area and warned that residents would not leave the road until their safety was guaranteed by security agencies.

“We are not going to leave the road until the safety of residents is assured by the relevant security agencies,” the protesters insisted. Punch