PDP Thugs Killed Police Inspector, 3 Others During APC Rally In Ibadan, 200 Shops & 10 Houses Destroyed

Three days after suspected Political thugs shot dead
a Police Inspector at a political rally in Oke- Ado,
Ibadan, another tragedy hit the Oyo State capital
yesterday, as three persons were feared dead in
another politically motivated fracas that engulfed
Born Photo, Isale Osi, Popo and Idi-Arere communi­
ties, in Ibadan South-West Local Government.
When Daily Sun visited the scene yesterday, the four
communities resembled a war zone. Broken bottles
littered the roads in the four communities. No fewer
than 10 houses, 200 shops, several cars, comprising
two articulated vehicles, one tricycle and eight
motorcycles were burnt during the fracas. Also, the
transformer at the Born Photo Junction was set
ablaze.
Apart from the 10 houses that were burnt, many
other houses were vandalised. The invaders
reportedly used guns, cutlasses, broken bottles and
other dangerous weapons freely. It was gathered that
many residents of the four communities had
relocated to other areas of the city for safety.
Daily Sun gathered that peace had eluded the
communities since Friday, November 21, 2014 after
a police inspector was shot dead at a rally organised
by the All Progressives Congress (APC) at Oke Ado,
Ibadan. A combined team of Operation Burst, Special
Anti-Robbery Squad and mobile policemen were
seeing combing the communities by yesterday
evening.
Mr. Raimi Azeez told Daily Sun that he lost his
tricycle, which he bought for N750, 000 on hire
purchase in the fracas. He said he had just paid
N300, 000 for the tricycle, wondering where he would
get money to pay the remaining debt.
Another victim of the attack is Mr. Adepoju Owolabi,
who owns a viewing centre at Isale Osi. He lamented
that his two giant generators and one small
generator were burnt by the hoodlums. The
attackers, he said, also destroyed his two television
sets as well as a computer and a printer. His words:
"The thugs came and started shouting at me. They
scared people away. They carried my three
generators and the two television sets to the main
road in front of the viewing centre, where they set
them on fire. I was looking at my means of livelihood
as they were being burnt and there was nobody to
help me. Where do I start from again?" A trader, Mrs.
Folake Oladipo, also narrated how the hoodlums
broke into her shop and destroyed everything there
with cutlasses. She said that the shop, which is in
front of a house, was also set ablaze.
According to her, she lost items worth N1.5million in
the shop, adding that the hoodlums had been
terrorising the community since Friday.
A middle-aged man, Mr. Okunola Ashimiyu, a motor
spare part merchant, also recounted his ordeals. He
told our reporter: "Since Friday, we have not known
peace in this area. Throughout yesterday (Saturday)
night, I heard sound of gunshots. At about 9:30am
today (yesterday), the supporters of a politician came
out and started causing problem in this area. They
said they molested their boss on Friday. That was
how they started burning houses and destroying
other property at Born Photo, Isale Osi, Popo and Idi
Arere.
"They burnt our house and the shops in front of it. I
know the boys that set this house ablaze. I tried to
put out the fire, but I could not. When policemen
came, they drove the hoodlums away. The policemen
told me to call my neighbour to help in putting out
the fire. But the fire fighters did not come to this
area."
The chairman, Ibadan South- West Local
Government, Mr. Taoreed Adeleke, told newsmen at
the Born Photo Junction yesterday that the
pandemonium was caused by miscreants that were
bent on disrupting the peaceful atmosphere in the
state, adding: "This problem started about three
days ago during APC rally in Oke-Ado. The hoodlums
came there and disrupted everything. They shot at
policemen.
"On the recent fracas, I received a call around 7am
today (yesterday) that the hoodlums had arrived
again at Born Photo area. Then, I called the Operation
Burst, SARS, and MOPOL. The hoodlums had
destroyed many things and set some houses ablaze
before the law enforcement agents arrived. "I think
the security agencies should stay in this area till next
two weeks until those miscreants are apprehended.
This will give assurance to people who have run away
from the communities to return. I think the violence
is the vocal point of the opposition parties in the
state to make people fear during election so that
people would be selling their votes."
But a chieftain of the Accord Party (AP) in Oyo State,
Mr. Lanre Ogundipe, has warned APC to stop pointing
fingers at the opposition parties in the state as the
mastermind of the fracas. He contended that the
melee was caused by an alleged internal wrangling
within APC, saying APC should look inward.
The Mogaji of Ile Laboo, Idi-Arere, Chief Bisi Shittu, an
engineer, was alarmed over the incident. He almost
betrayed emotion while fielding questions from
newsmen on the mayhem. He stated: "The state in
which I saw things in the area, honestly, is shameful
and wanton destruction of life and property for no
just cause. Innocent people's houses and property
were destroyed. They set some of them on fire. There
is no justification for it. How many hours after the
flag off of the campaign? "I understand that this
thing began on Friday, as a result of the fallout from
the APC campaign, which was supposed to have
taken place around Oke Ado. Based on what
happened over there, people ran towards Popo
Yemoja and Isale Osi. The whole of yesterday
(Saturday) was the same thing.
"People in the neighbourhood said some persons
providing security for some of the aspirants. Also, we
heard that one of the boys came this morning and
was just brandishing guns and destroyed life and
property. People claimed they saw one of them with
three rifles. It is madness. There is no better way to
describe this thing.
"I feel really ashamed that while we are talking about
peace and security in Oyo State, things like this could
happen. There has to be a concerted effort to ensure
that people are secured in their houses. This is an
area where we have many police stations and
nothing happened. "Being a traditional chief in this
area, we just need to find a way to pacify people
because they felt that some persons were just trying
to use their political might. From the comments
people are making now, the storm is gathering. We
don't want to see a situation like we have in the
North here.
"I am appealing to my people to be calm. Two wrongs
don't make a right. They should take it easy and let
us see, for once, what the government will do to
bring justice."

Posted By David Aniemeka