There was pandemonium in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, at the weekend as hoodlums attacked communities, stole their valuables and vandalised properties.
Affected areas include Idi-Arere, Bode, Oke-Ado and Allelluyah petrol station, all in the heart of the ancient city.
One of the residents who spoke with Daily Trust, Mr Sola Okiki, said the attack affected structures belonging to a fashion designer, soft drinks sellers, houses, electronics shops, frozen foods’ shops and cooking materials sellers’ shops, among others.
Another resident of the area who spoke with our correspondent, Kemi Adetayo, noted that the incident occurred at midnight when many of the residents of the affected areas were still sleeping.
Adetayo said that the hoodlums stormed the areas and burnt all the shops and houses located along the road.
She said, “It is not up to Popoyemoja, it was only at Idi-Arere, Bode up to Alleluyah petrol station. It is a case of arsonists. They burnt houses and shops too. It happened in the midnight. It was when we woke up this morning that we saw everything. I can’t count the number of shops affected, but it was a stretch from that junction up to Alleluyah petrol station. We are talking of about 10 to 15 shops on this side, and 10 to 15 shops on the other side.”
She queried the claim by the Oyo State government that there was peace in the state. “The state government said that there is security, but you can see this. The CCTV is not in Idi-Arere, while the one at Beere cannot capture up to Oja-Oba and the one at Molete cannot capture up to Idi-Arere,” she said.
The Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Adekunle Ajisebutu, who confirmed the incident to journalists, said that normalcy has returned to the affected areas.
Ajisebutu, in a statement, added that 11 suspects, including their leader, had been arrested.
Worried by the development, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, has summoned an emergency meeting of all family heads in the areas concerned to his palace at Popoyemoja, Ibadan, at 12 noon on Tuesday.
A statement issued by the Olubadan’s Personal Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Adeola Oloko, mentioned the Mogajis and Baales expected by the Olubadan at the palace on Tuesday as including those whose family compounds fall within Oja’gbo, Beyerunka, Labiran, Idi Arere/Asuni, Asaka, Isale Osi, Oopo Yeosa and Olorisa Oko areas of Ibadan.
