Sequel to the sad robbery incident which led to the death of four persons last week, the residents of Ladeowo in Omi-Adio area of Ibadan, the Oyo capital, have staged a protest against point of sale (POS) operators in the area.
The residents alleged the POS operators of attracting robbers to the community through their activities.
According to TheCable newspaper, some of the kiosks used by the POS operators were destroyed on Thursday, during the protest by aggrieved residents .
Isaac Adetunji, a resident in the area, said aside from the recent robbery attack, there was an incident a few years ago, which resulted in the death of two residents.
He therefore appealed to the state government to regulate the activities of POS operators.
“This is a developing community where residents are providing basic needs for themselves, including security. We hardly feel the presence of government. So the POS operators come here in large numbers and set up small shops. Because they deal in cash without adequate security measures in place, they attract robbers to the community.
“Some years ago, two people were killed by robbers during robbery of POS shops. A similar thing happened on Friday with four residents killed and three seriously injured.
“Government needs to regulate how these POS shops are sited. You cannot operate a mini bank without adequate security”, Adetunji stated.
Joseph Oladimeji, one of the leaders of commercial motorcycle operators in the community, said the youths led the protest.
“One of the four people killed was a young man who was our member. He was ferrying a passenger to a destination when he ran into the robbers. He was shot and killed at the scene. Another youth that was killed was a taxi driver who was answering a call without knowing that robbers were ahead of him. They also shot and killed him thinking he was calling the police,” Oladimeji said.
“A sick woman collapsed and died when she heard gunshots from the robbers,” he added.