Ibadan residents stage protest, accuse POS operators of attracting robbers to community

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 that the POS operators are attracting robbers to the community.

On Friday, four persons were killed by gunmen who stormed the community and robbed five POS operators.

When TheCable visited the area on Thursday, it was observed that some of the kiosks used by the POS operators were destroyed during the protest.

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 called on 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,” Adetunji said.

“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.”

Joseph Oladimeji, one of the leaders of commercial motorcycle operators in the community, said 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.

“The POS operators are Nigerians, but they cannot put our lives at risk because they want to do business in our community. The youths were only reacting to the spate of robbery.”

Relative calm has, however, returned to the community.