Leader of the community, Mathew Omojuwa, a
traditional chief, told Saturday PUNCH that many
residents were about going to bed after the initial
mayhem during the day on Thursday when some
Hausa youths numbering over 30 stormed the area
again around 11pm, armed with dangerous weapons
and attacked residents and burnt down houses.
According to him many of them are alive only by the
grace of God. He said the situation could have been
very bloody.
“They attacked a church and the houses around it;
destroyed too many things I cannot mention. The
crisis had been on for about four days now and it
started in Agility area before spilling to this side. They
burnt houses and destroyed shops. They were aided
by policemen who just stood there and did nothing to
protect the Yoruba. They just killed people and threw
their corpses in the fire,” he said.
However, the destruction was also heavy on the side
of some of the Hausa traders at the Mile 12 market.
One of the Hausa traders, Danladi Mohammed, told
Saturday PUNCH that his entire stock of foodstuffs
were destroyed and looted.
Lamenting about the scale of his loss, Mohammed
said that the goods were obtained on credit from
Kano State.
“These people have finished me,” he said.
I lost my home, now I can’t locate my family –
Lawyer
A lawyer, Mr. Mebawondu Adebayo, who lives in the
community with his wife and five children battled to
contain his emotions while narrating his experience
to Saturday PUNCH.
The middle-aged man, who said the entire
neighbourhood now lives in fear as a result of rising
tension in the area, stated that he doesn’t know
where to start from again.
“The situation on Thursday night was so terrible. I
was in the court when I received a call from my wife
notifying me of what was happening in Mile 12. She
told me her life was in danger and when I got home I
realised that our entire building had been razed and
there was nothing left of our belongings.
“The Hausa left their area and came to our territory
and started attacking our innocent women and
children. This is not the first time they would be
doing such. We don’t understand why we should be
slaves and easy targets in our own land. As we speak
I don’t know the whereabouts of my wife and five
children. The shirt I have on me now was given to me
by a friend. Everybody now lives in fear, people can
no longer sleep at night. We don’t know how long this
will last,” he said.
It would be recalled that among the casualty of the
crisis were two schoolchildren, traders, artisans and
residents. But apart from the lives lost, the loss in
property were noticeably high.
The stories told by many of the landlords and
residents who escaped death as youths armed with
cutlasses, Molotov cocktail, clubs and daggers, were
almost too horrible to be true.
Some neighbourhoods have been totally deserted by
residents leaving behind many burnt out houses.
Our house set on fire to smoke us out – Survivor
One of the affected residents of Omowale Street, at
Maidan Orile area of Mile 12, whom our
correspondents spoke with, 28-year-old Emmanuel
Samson, narrated how he waved frantically to
security agents stationed about 100 metres away as
Hausa youths closed in on his house.
“They were watching everything happening. I waved
and waved but the policemen did not move. I ran
back inside and the youths set fire to the house just
to smoke me out. We could not hide inside the house
any longer and had to run out.
“My neighbour, Mr. Andrew Igba, was inside with his
18 month old son. When we ran out of the house, the
collected the boy from him and beat him brutally,
injuring him with a cutlass on the head. I almost
could not believe I would survive that attack. I was
able to survive because I ran away when they started
chasing Mr. Igba.”
A locked metal gate prevented the attackers from
gaining access into the building but a petrol bomb
was thrown inside burning parts of the door and a
generator at the entrance.
How my son was abducted, almost slaughtered –
Survivor
Thirty-nine-year-old Igba, is still recuperating
following the brutal beating and cutlass injuries
inflicted on him by about 10 Hausa youths who
chased after him as he fled with his son.
He explained that he saw a horde of youths, which he
estimated to be up to 70 approaching their house.
Igba said, “I had to quickly run out of the house but
when they sighted me, about 10 of them chased after
me with cutlasses and clubs. When they caught up
with me, they started beating me and gave me some
cuts. I then became unconscious.
“They must have left me because they thought I was
dead. When I came to, I realised that they had taken
my son. I started to scream because I believed they
were going to kill my son.
“I went to meet some policemen stationed at the
junction of our area and they told me that they
thought I was dead because they saw when the men
were approaching our house and later set fire to it.
“I asked if they had seen anybody with my son. I
asked if they could assist me but they said there was
nothing they could do. I left the first team and went
to meet another set of police team who then told me
to go and meet the head of the Hausa community.
“When I went to meet the man, he told me to come
back later. By evening, I received a call and I was told
that my son had been kept with one Hausa woman.
The woman told me that the youths who took my son
wanted to slaughter him but that one of them had a
change of heart and prevented the killing. The
sympathetic youth later took the baby to the woman
for safekeeping.
“I am so happy that my wife and my other child were
not around during the incident. I don’t know what
would have happened.”
All my life savings destroyed – Landlord of 15-
roomed building
One of the victims of the crisis is 64-year-old bus
driver, Saka Rahmon, who sat in front of his house.
The house has nine rooms and a detached part with
another six rooms. The entire buildings were
allegedly razed by Hausa youths.
He was inches away from sobbing when our
correspondent visited the place. Apart from his
transport business, the building is his home and
source of livelihood.
“My family and I use just few of the rooms, the
others were rented out. All of us lost all our
belongings in the fire. We were all away at work when
the boys struck,” he said.
His tenants were also seen in front of the building
speaking angrily and animatedly about the callous
youths.
We dare not tell hacked victim’s wife about his
death – Resident
At Maidan-Orile where the devastation was horrific,
more than 20 houses were burnt including a church
and a high tension electricity mast. Three people
were killed in the community while at least 10
persons were seriously injured.
One of those killed here was Jelili, a carpenter and
father of two who hailed from Iseyin in Oyo State.
The man, according to close friends, had gone to pick
his children from school and was returning home
with them when Hausa rioters hacked and burnt him
to death.
A bosom friend of the victim, who identified himself
only as Pastor Dare, told Saturday PUNCH that the
incident had left a bitter and everlasting mark on the
lives of Jelili’s children and wife who looked up to him
for survival.
He said they had yet to break the news to the victim’s
wife as she could either die on the spot or do
something strange.
“Jelili was such an easy going person who never
made trouble with anyone. He was returning home
with his children whom he had gone to pick from
their school when suddenly the Hausa youths
attacked and burnt him. His children were not killed
but sustained slight injuries as a result. We have yet
to break the news to his wife because she could die
of shock if it gets to her,” he said.
We have not slept for two days – Trader
A petty trader, Bilikis Banjoko, whose house was also
torched during the crisis on Thursday night, said
many of them had not slept for almost two days
following the incident. She said except the
government relocates the market away from Mile 12,
peace would never reign in the area.
“We lost our entire property and also five of our
youths in the crisis. Many of us have not slept for
almost two days because of the situation. We lost
freezers, television sets and everything we had ever
laboured for. We are pleading with the government
to kindly come to our aid and move the market away
from this area before Hausa kill us all,” she said.
Everything I have laboured for destroyed in one
day – Fashion designer
A fashion designer, Princess Yusuf, was still in tears
when our correspondents visited the community on
Friday. Apart from losing five sophisticated sewing
machines costing not less than N50, 000 each, about
N150,000 was also stolen from the safe inside her
shop. This is aside properties and electronics that
were burnt by Hausa traders who attacked Maidan-
Orile where she lives with her family..
“The Hausa who invaded this area broke into my
shop through the wall after they couldn’t open the
door. They burnt five of my big machines, stole over
N150, 000 and also burnt all the electronics in my
shop and house. In one day they have destroyed
everything I have ever laboured for, this is not fair,”
she said.

www.punchng.com/mile-12-crisis-community-turns-to-ghost-town-as-situation-remains-tense/

Leader of the community, Mathew Omojuwa, a
traditional chief, told Saturday PUNCH that many
residents were about going to bed after the initial
mayhem during the day on Thursday when some
Hausa youths numbering over 30 stormed the area
again around 11pm, armed with dangerous weapons
and attacked residents and burnt down houses.
According to him many of them are alive only by the
grace of God. He said the situation could have been
very bloody.
“They attacked a church and the houses around it;
destroyed too many things I cannot mention. The
crisis had been on for about four days now and it
started in Agility area before spilling to this side. They
burnt houses and destroyed shops. They were aided
by policemen who just stood there and did nothing to
protect the Yoruba. They just killed people and threw
their corpses in the fire,” he said.
However, the destruction was also heavy on the side
of some of the Hausa traders at the Mile 12 market.
One of the Hausa traders, Danladi Mohammed, told
Saturday PUNCH that his entire stock of foodstuffs
were destroyed and looted.
Lamenting about the scale of his loss, Mohammed
said that the goods were obtained on credit from
Kano State.
“These people have finished me,” he said.
I lost my home, now I can’t locate my family –
Lawyer
A lawyer, Mr. Mebawondu Adebayo, who lives in the
community with his wife and five children battled to
contain his emotions while narrating his experience
to Saturday PUNCH.
The middle-aged man, who said the entire
neighbourhood now lives in fear as a result of rising
tension in the area, stated that he doesn’t know
where to start from again.
“The situation on Thursday night was so terrible. I
was in the court when I received a call from my wife
notifying me of what was happening in Mile 12. She
told me her life was in danger and when I got home I
realised that our entire building had been razed and
there was nothing left of our belongings.
“The Hausa left their area and came to our territory
and started attacking our innocent women and
children. This is not the first time they would be
doing such. We don’t understand why we should be
slaves and easy targets in our own land. As we speak
I don’t know the whereabouts of my wife and five
children. The shirt I have on me now was given to me
by a friend. Everybody now lives in fear, people can
no longer sleep at night. We don’t know how long this
will last,” he said.
It would be recalled that among the casualty of the
crisis were two schoolchildren, traders, artisans and
residents. But apart from the lives lost, the loss in
property were noticeably high.
The stories told by many of the landlords and
residents who escaped death as youths armed with
cutlasses, Molotov cocktail, clubs and daggers, were
almost too horrible to be true.
Some neighbourhoods have been totally deserted by
residents leaving behind many burnt out houses.
Our house set on fire to smoke us out – Survivor
One of the affected residents of Omowale Street, at
Maidan Orile area of Mile 12, whom our
correspondents spoke with, 28-year-old Emmanuel
Samson, narrated how he waved frantically to
security agents stationed about 100 metres away as
Hausa youths closed in on his house.
“They were watching everything happening. I waved
and waved but the policemen did not move. I ran
back inside and the youths set fire to the house just
to smoke me out. We could not hide inside the house
any longer and had to run out.
“My neighbour, Mr. Andrew Igba, was inside with his
18 month old son. When we ran out of the house, the
collected the boy from him and beat him brutally,
injuring him with a cutlass on the head. I almost
could not believe I would survive that attack. I was
able to survive because I ran away when they started
chasing Mr. Igba.”
A locked metal gate prevented the attackers from
gaining access into the building but a petrol bomb
was thrown inside burning parts of the door and a
generator at the entrance.
How my son was abducted, almost slaughtered –
Survivor
Thirty-nine-year-old Igba, is still recuperating
following the brutal beating and cutlass injuries
inflicted on him by about 10 Hausa youths who
chased after him as he fled with his son.
He explained that he saw a horde of youths, which he
estimated to be up to 70 approaching their house.
Igba said, “I had to quickly run out of the house but
when they sighted me, about 10 of them chased after
me with cutlasses and clubs. When they caught up
with me, they started beating me and gave me some
cuts. I then became unconscious.
“They must have left me because they thought I was
dead. When I came to, I realised that they had taken
my son. I started to scream because I believed they
were going to kill my son.
“I went to meet some policemen stationed at the
junction of our area and they told me that they
thought I was dead because they saw when the men
were approaching our house and later set fire to it.
“I asked if they had seen anybody with my son. I
asked if they could assist me but they said there was
nothing they could do. I left the first team and went
to meet another set of police team who then told me
to go and meet the head of the Hausa community.
“When I went to meet the man, he told me to come
back later. By evening, I received a call and I was told
that my son had been kept with one Hausa woman.
The woman told me that the youths who took my son
wanted to slaughter him but that one of them had a
change of heart and prevented the killing. The
sympathetic youth later took the baby to the woman
for safekeeping.
“I am so happy that my wife and my other child were
not around during the incident. I don’t know what
would have happened.”
All my life savings destroyed – Landlord of 15-
roomed building
One of the victims of the crisis is 64-year-old bus
driver, Saka Rahmon, who sat in front of his house.
The house has nine rooms and a detached part with
another six rooms. The entire buildings were
allegedly razed by Hausa youths.
He was inches away from sobbing when our
correspondent visited the place. Apart from his
transport business, the building is his home and
source of livelihood.
“My family and I use just few of the rooms, the
others were rented out. All of us lost all our
belongings in the fire. We were all away at work when
the boys struck,” he said.
His tenants were also seen in front of the building
speaking angrily and animatedly about the callous
youths.
We dare not tell hacked victim’s wife about his
death – Resident
At Maidan-Orile where the devastation was horrific,
more than 20 houses were burnt including a church
and a high tension electricity mast. Three people
were killed in the community while at least 10
persons were seriously injured.
One of those killed here was Jelili, a carpenter and
father of two who hailed from Iseyin in Oyo State.
The man, according to close friends, had gone to pick
his children from school and was returning home
with them when Hausa rioters hacked and burnt him
to death.
A bosom friend of the victim, who identified himself
only as Pastor Dare, told Saturday PUNCH that the
incident had left a bitter and everlasting mark on the
lives of Jelili’s children and wife who looked up to him
for survival.
He said they had yet to break the news to the victim’s
wife as she could either die on the spot or do
something strange.
“Jelili was such an easy going person who never
made trouble with anyone. He was returning home
with his children whom he had gone to pick from
their school when suddenly the Hausa youths
attacked and burnt him. His children were not killed
but sustained slight injuries as a result. We have yet
to break the news to his wife because she could die
of shock if it gets to her,” he said.
We have not slept for two days – Trader
A petty trader, Bilikis Banjoko, whose house was also
torched during the crisis on Thursday night, said
many of them had not slept for almost two days
following the incident. She said except the
government relocates the market away from Mile 12,
peace would never reign in the area.
“We lost our entire property and also five of our
youths in the crisis. Many of us have not slept for
almost two days because of the situation. We lost
freezers, television sets and everything we had ever
laboured for. We are pleading with the government
to kindly come to our aid and move the market away
from this area before Hausa kill us all,” she said.
Everything I have laboured for destroyed in one
day – Fashion designer
A fashion designer, Princess Yusuf, was still in tears
when our correspondents visited the community on
Friday. Apart from losing five sophisticated sewing
machines costing not less than N50, 000 each, about
N150,000 was also stolen from the safe inside her
shop. This is aside properties and electronics that
were burnt by Hausa traders who attacked Maidan-
Orile where she lives with her family..
“The Hausa who invaded this area broke into my
shop through the wall after they couldn’t open the
door. They burnt five of my big machines, stole over
N150, 000 and also burnt all the electronics in my
shop and house. In one day they have destroyed
everything I have ever laboured for, this is not fair,” This is a well planned invasion of the SW. Ambode should use the Military and not Police. Hausa/Fulani s don't care afoot about Police but fear Soldiers.

Where is Oba Akiolu

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Where is Oba Akiolu

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