The fear of reprisal attack from suspected hoodlums has led some residents of Coca Cola, Leventis, Ajibade, Ajegunle, Oke-Itunu and other adjoining neighbourhoods in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo state to desert their homes and shops following the killing of a thief in the area.
According to findings, the trouble started on Friday after the Thursday killing of a suspected thief who was arrested by an angry mob in the area. Thereafter, in a reprisal attack on Friday, some hoodlums swooped on the communities, armed with dangerous weapons and attacked the unsuspecting residents.
The hoodlums reportedly shot sporadically and destroyed several properties in the area while two people were said to have lost their lives as a result of gunshot injury during the incident.
Following the confusion that ensued, the majority of the shops in the area were shut with several houses deserted on Friday.
A shop owner at Ajibade who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that “the hoodlums, numbering about three on a commercial motorcycle stormed the area around 4pm and shot at two people. A man (name not known) and a woman simply identified as Toyin were shot during the confusion that ensued in the community.”
He added that the man died immediately as a result of the gunshot while the woman gave up the ghost on Friday morning due to complications that arose as a result of the impact of the bullet.
The eyewitness informed that the residents fled the area for fear of being attacked by the hoodlums.
He said, “It was so strange and frightening. At first, many people could not understand what was going on and the reason for the attack on the community. We were wondering; it was a terrible experience for us yesterday. They shot indiscriminately in every direction. At the end of the day, two people lost their lives while several others sustained varying degrees of injury.”
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of Oyo State Police Command, Mr Olugbenga Fadeyi, has also confirmed the incident.
He said the police have dispatched some of its men to the area to forestall further attacks. He, however, said it was only one person that lost his life in the incident.
“The information I had indicated that some hoodlums in the area set ablaze a man suspected to be a thief on Thursday morning. Later, three men suspected to be cultists went on a reprisal attack and shot at the man named Ojo Jacob. The victim was about 58 years old. The hoodlums shot at him and bolted away.
In order to forestall further damage and loss of lives, some anti-crime policemen and patrol vehicles have been stationed in the area. Our men are presently on surveillance in the communities in order to forestall further attacks on the people. The police are also on the trail of the men of the suspects for possible arrest.”
