The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Femi Haruna, has ordered a comprehensive investigation into alleged unprofessional conduct by officers of the Jobele Police Division in Afijio Local Government Area, following a wave of protests over rising kidnapping and insecurity.

According to a statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, the Assistant Superintendent of Police who led the patrol team at the centre of the controversy and the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Jobele Division have both been issued formal queries. An Inspector directly linked to the incident has been placed in detention and is being defaulted pending the outcome of the internal investigation.

The development comes after angry residents blocked the Jobele end of the Ibadan–Oyo expressway, paralysing human and vehicular movement. Protesters said they were driven to the streets by repeated cases of kidnapping, banditry and violent attacks in the area, which they claim have gone largely unchecked.

Community members recounted a recent incident in which suspected kidnappers allegedly invaded one of the communities and attempted to abduct a woman. She reportedly escaped by scaling a fence but sustained a deep machete cut to her hand. Residents said similar attacks had occurred several times, fuelling fears that the area had become a target for criminal gangs.

Local leader Dolapo Awotunde of Ward 8 said Afijio Local Government had recorded no fewer than seven kidnapping-related incidents in recent times. In one of the latest attacks, a victim was so badly wounded that one of his hands had to be amputated after being transferred from a general hospital to Ogbomoso for advanced treatment.

In response, residents organised community vigilante efforts. During one such vigil, they claimed to have apprehended a man allegedly found with a gun, cutlass and other weapons. The suspect was handed over to the Jobele Police Station for investigation.

Tensions escalated when residents later returned to the station and discovered that the suspect had been released without explanation and without consulting those who arrested him. The release triggered outrage and led to the blockade of the Old Oyo–Ibadan Road and the Ibadan–Oyo–Ogbomoso highway, as protesters demanded to know who authorised the suspect’s freedom.

The police command said its investigation would follow established rules and the law, with a promise of appropriate disciplinary action if any officer is found culpable. Residents, however, are insisting on swift action and stronger security measures to protect lives and property in Jobele and surrounding communities.