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Three killed, houses burnt in Ibadan mayhem
At least three people
were killed and 10
houses destroyed by
armed youths who
invaded Born Photo,
Isale Osi, Idi Arere and
Popoyemoja in Ibadan
South-West Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The youth who operated freely for about two hours before
policemen arrived at the scenes, also burnt or vandalised
about 200 shops, several vehicles and a tricycle.
Eyewitnesses said the thugs partly burnt a petrol station at
Popoyemoja junction.
Our correspondent gathered that the mayhem started at 9am
at Born Photo before it spread to Isale Osi, Idi Arere and
Popoyemoja.
Residents linked the violence to last Friday’s attack in which
a policeman was shot dead at a rally by the All Progressives
Congress.
One of them said, “Youths hired by politicians released
several shots at Born Photo junction. This is a fall-out of
Friday’s violence at the APC rally. This may not be over soon
because there could be reprisal. Government must intervene
quickly.”
Mr. Okunola Asimiyu, whose family house on SW9/263 was
burnt on Sunday, wondered why his house was a target.
He said, “I am not a politician. My father built this house
many decades ago. The fight in Oke-Ado three days ago may
have led to today’s (Sunday) attack on our community. I
have no friends among the politicians. I was in the building
when the thugs set it on fire . I tried to put off the fire but
when I realised that it was spreading, I had to escape.”
About five shops in the house were vandalised.
Folake Oladipo, who operated one of the shops, said she lost
over N1m.
She added, “I received a call this(Sunday) morning that my
shop was burning. I rushed there but I saw people with guns
shooting and burning houses. They burnt my refrigerators,
generators and looted everything in the shop. I am
devastated.”
Also destroyed in the building was a football viewing centre.
Its operator, Adepoju Owolabi, said football fans were lucky
to have escaped.
At Popoyemoja junction, a BP petrol station was vandalised
and partly burnt. Policemen at the scene said calamity would
have happened if the fire had reached the fuel dump.
However, the Caretaker Chairman of Ibadan South-West
Council Area, Taoreed Adeleke, blamed the opposition for the
attack.
Adeleke said, “Clearly, this is the work of the opposition. They
want to scare people during elections and place the blame on
the government of the day. We appeal that people should
return to their homes. People are not ready to talk; they are
scared of mentioning the perpetrators for fear of being
attacked.
“I will also blame hoodlums or area boys that are bent on
disrupting the peaceful atmosphere in the state for the attack.
We heard that the people would come up before the election
to make the state ungovernable.
“It started on Friday in Oke Ado and its spreading now. I was
called early this (Sunday) morning that the problem had
started again so I mobilised security men to stop them.”
However, an Accord Party chieftain, Lanre Ogundipe, said the
fight was between APC members.
“APC started it among rival groups within the party on Friday.
They should not point accusing fingers at any other political
party,” he said.
The APC Chairman in the state, Akin Oke, in a statement after
the violence, called on the police to investigate the attack
thoroughly.
Like Adeleke, Oke blamed the mayhem on the opposition.
His statement read in part, “All evidences at APC disposal
pointed at a high-level gang-up by some politicians currently
at large to embarrass government and to destroy the three
and half years of peace in the state.
“We still insist that the persons behind that violence were
carrying out a high-level assignment which has to do with the
2015 elections. The violence betrays logic. Why would APC
‘thugs’, if the allegation of the opposition is to be believed, be
involved in shooting the police and not their rival groups?
Why did the fomenters of the violence choose the governor’s
local government and the last day of his meet-the-people
tour, as their target?”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Police
Command, Olabisi Ilobanefor, said the police had yet to make
any arrest.
He said the state Commissioner of Police, Kola Sodipo, would
address the media over the spate of attacks in the state on
Monday (today).