•Police debunk invasion

By Adeola Badru, IBADAN

SUSPECTED herdsmen allegedly invaded Community Grammar School, Alaropo Nla, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, yesterday, and injured students and teachers in the process.

Vanguard reliably gathered that the herders, numbering over 20, allegedly invaded the school with their cattle and injured some of the students and teachers, including one Mr Paul Olabode, inflicting wounds on them with sword and machete cuts, while many others were left with broken legs and hands.

The source disclosed that the school had just finished morning devotion and students were preparing to settle down for their second term examination when the herdsmen invaded the school farm with their cows grazing mindlessly on crops.

Efforts made by the students and the teachers to drive away the herdsmen were met with brutal resistance.

The school principal, Mrs Grace Alamu, who confirmed the incident to Vanguard in a chat, said that the incident had been reported to the police.

Alamu said: “I was on my way to the school when I received the news of the invasion. Policemen are coming to the school this morning.”

Police debunk invasion

The Police Command in Oyo State has debunked an alleged herdsmen invasion.

Debunking the report, the command’s spokesman, SP Adewale Osifeso said that nothing of such incident happened in the school and nobody was injured as alleged.

He said the herdsmen were peacefully grazing their cattle outside the vicinity of the school and people began to raise a false alarm.
Osifeso said the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Adebowale Williams had sent the Divisional Police Officer in the area to the place and confirmed the incident did not happen.

But faulting the Police denial, an official of the school, who spoke with Vanguard in confidence, said: “It was very unfortunate the report is being twisted from various quarters.

“We have done what we could do and if they insisted there was no such occurrence, so be it. Regarding the number of casualties involved, the head of TESCOM in the Ogbomoso zone will be able to talk about that. I don’t want to make any further comments again. I want to be on the safe side.”

Oyo govt keeps mum

When contacted, the Commissioner of Education in Oyo State, Mr Raman Abdulraheem said he could not make any comment, adding that he still needed to get some facts before making an official comment.

Abdulraheem said: “I can’t make any official statement now until I get the proper fact. Maybe you come back tomorrow (today). How do you expect me to comment without having adequate facts?”