Residents of Coca Cola, Leventis, Ajibade, Ajegunle, Oke- Itunu and other adjoining communities in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State are currently living in palpable fear as two people were feared killed by hoodlums in a reprisal attack on the area.
Some residents of the area reportedly deserted their homes and shops on Friday following the attack that trailed the killing of a thief who was arrested by an angry mob in the area on Thursday.
It was learnt that in the evening on Friday some hoodlums swooped on the communities, armed with dangerous weapons and attacked the unsuspecting residents.
On their arrival, the hoodlums were said to have shot sporadically and destroyed several property in the area. Two people were said to have lost their lives as a result of gunshot injury during the incident.
Following the confusion that ensued, 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 as many people were scampering for safety.”
He said 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 added 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 and the reason for the attack on the community. We were wondering; it was a terrible exeprience for us yesterday. They shot indiscriminately at every direction. At the end of the day, many two people lost their lives while several others sustained vatrying degrees of injury.”
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Oyo State Police Command, Mr. Olugbenga Fadeyi, confirmed the incident.
The PPRO said the police have dispatched some of its men in the area to forestall further attacks, said one person 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.”
