Residents share painful experiences after hoodlums, soldiers’ gun battle in Osun
- Some residents of Ikire in Osun state have narrated how the town was nearly turned into a war zone
- Hoodlums had on Monday, October 26, were said to have forced their entry to the palace of Akire of Ikire and beat some chiefs mercilessly
- According to the report, the hoodlums later ambushed the soldiers who were in the town for a peacekeeping mission
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Barely three days after some hoodlums engaged soldiers in a gun duel in Ikire, Irewole local government area of Osun state, some residents of the ancient town have shared what they described as "harrowing experiences."
Legit.ng's regional reporter in Osun state, Ibrahim Akinola, reports that the residents of the town are yet to recover from the shock orchestrated by the sound of gunshots.
A resident of the Iyana-Egba area who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the incidents on Monday, October 26 and Tuesday, October 27, could not be forgotten in a jiffy, adding that the ever-peaceful town was turned into a theatre zone.
Source: Original
He said:
"Monday and Tuesday would never be forgotten in a hurry. It was as if we were in a war zone. Even the soldiers have not gone yet. I actually knew that we were in serious trouble when I learnt that the soldiers who were sent on a peace mission when those boys initially sacked the palace and assaulted some chiefs, were stoned, beaten and their riffles stolen.
"We thank God things are gradually returning to normal though the soldiers have not gone completely."
Another resident who resides around the Naira and Kobo area of the town blamed the hoodlums for the number of lives lost in the unfortunate incidents.
He said:
"Those boys are stupid. You can't imagine how they were celebrating after chasing away the soldiers. They even passed my shop. They were boasting of anti-bullet voodoos and saying they would finish all soldiers of this world.
"Then I knew a lot of lives would be soon lost because I was very sure the soldiers would come in full force and would be terribly bloody. Less than an hour later, they came in a full battalion, blocking the main highway, shooting sporadically while marching to the battlefront. It was a gorry site to behold. Within a twinkle of an eye, everywhere has turned into a ghost town.
"But unfortunately for the boys, a lot of them fell while many ran away with various degrees of bullet wounds."
Also speaking to Legit.ng, a resident of Sango Area who refused to have his name in print, said the hoodlums had been terrorising the town, extorting motorists and looting shops without being checkmated.
The resident noted:
"After those boys ransacked the palace earlier on Monday morning, they mounted several illegal roadblocks, especially around Sango Area, collecting illegal fees from motorist and harassing passersby. They looted some shops and got several bottles which they broke along the roundabout.
"They were later dealt with by the soldiers while many of them went into hiding. Stray bullets killed many people unfortunately and injured several others. Their firepower was something else. Can you imagine a bullet shot at Sango roundabout and injured someone at Iyana Onimaluu?
It was gathered that some of the injured hoodlums were later arrested on Tuesday, October 27, by the soldiers.
Some properties including cars of some of the sponsors of the hoodlums were set ablaze after they went into hiding.
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One of the residents said appealed to the state government to rid the town of the miscreants in order for the people to live in peace and harmony.
He added:
"The whole township needs total overhauling. The miscreants are too many and there has been an escalation and upsurge in recent times. All these boys are addicts and can smoke their lives out. The government should come to our rescue before it got out of hand."
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that pandemonium broke out in Ikire on Monday, October 26, when hoodlums engaged soldiers in a gun duel.
It was reported that the hoodlums who had wanted to attack the palace of Akire of Ikire, Oba Olatunde Falabi, were initially repelled by the soldiers before they finally forced their way into the palace.
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Source: Legit.ng
