Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has promised to rebuild police stations burnt during the #EndSARS protest in the state.
He also pledged to provide other logistics that would make the police work better.
Makinde spoke on Monday when he visited the headquarters of the Oyo State Police Command in Eleyele.
He was at the command to sympathise with them over the death of some officers and burning of their stations and patrol vehicles during the #EndSARS protest.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that no fewer than five police officers were killed, 12 injured and five stations burnt during the #EndSARS protest.
The governor said that the family of the officers killed during the protest would be compensated from the N500 million fund earlier announced by the government.
The fund is to cater for those who suffered losses during the protest.
“The Commissioner of Police just handed over a document to me few minutes ago and it contains the request from the Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Police; stations that have to be rebuilt, logistics that have to be taken care of.
“I have not read it, I stand before you to say that everything listed in it for us to do has been accepted and we will do it.
”The government has set up an initial N500 million fund, the family of the policemen that were killed will be compensated from the N500 million and I pray for the souls of the departed officers,” Makinde said.
The governor said that the past few weeks had been a challenge for the Police in Oyo State and Nigeria in general, assuring that the Oyo State Government was solidly with them.
He urged the officers to put behind what had happened and go back to work so as not to allow criminal-minded individuals to take over the state.
“We need your cooperation to ensure that arsonists, anarchists are brought to book and I’m here to work with you to ensure that the burden you are carrying becomes light,” Makinde said.
Also speaking, Deputy Inspector General of Police Leye Oyebade said whatever happened must not deter the officers from carrying out their constitutional responsibilities of protecting lives and property.
“We need to move forward, the statutory responsibility of the police cannot be given to any other security agencies.
“Police must go back and take its rightful place and make the state calm.
“We must work together to bring heinous crime to the barest minimum and we have to work with other security agencies,” Oyebade said.
Earlier, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Nwachukwu Enwonwu, said the month of October was a sorrowful one, not only for Oyo State, but for the entire police force.
“But this does not mean that life will not continue, we have to put that behind us and ensure that the state is properly secure,” he said.
Enwonwu said that hoodlums could not be allowed to take over the society.
“The military and other security agencies supported us and they are with us,” he said.
