22nd November, 2010
Following incessant attacks on innocent people, especially the one that happened during the last Eid-el-Kabir festival, where one person was reportedly killed and several others injured, residents of Odiolowo of Odiolowo/Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, Nigeria, have appealed to the state government and police authority to provide adequate security for them.
Those who reside on Oyegunle, Amodu Smith, Alhaji Lasisi, Anu-Oluwapo, Akala and Adegbite streets as well as some other streets in the area, told Lagos Bulletin that attempts by the people of the community to resist the activities of hoodlums who do not reside in the community but have made the place their hideout, have been futile, as they have turned cultist, attacking the people indiscriminately.
Mr. Olasunkanmi Iyanda, a resident of the area, told Lagos Bulletin that the suspected cultists pose as members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) from Ward A1, who go out to commit all sorts of atrocities, adding that when they stormed the community, people thought they were part of people but it got to a stage that their activities could no longer be condoned and that was when the problem started as they began to harass and extort money from the residents and an attempt to stop them to be more furious, threatening to kill everybody in the community.
Olasunkanmi also alleged that the suspected cultists are being financed by some politicians in the area and that, according to him had handicapped the police in curtailing their activities.
Also, an 80-year old woman, Idowu Opebi, narrated her ordeal in the hands of the hoodlums, saying “I was in the front of my house when they came in their multitude, threatening to kill everybody in the community. They dragged me on the ground and beat me until some youths came to my rescue. In fact, but for the youths, I would have been dead by now.
“I appeal to the state government to investigate the matter and bring those involved to book because we live in fear of being attacked here everyday.â€
Another septuagenarian, Madam Iyabo Batula, in her own, said “the Sallah celebration was about to be hosted my children and grandchildren and just as we were preparing the meals, we just saw them coming and they were shooting sporadically, attacking everybody. On the following day, they also came with weapons and petrol, threatening to burn down our buildings, while they were shooting at people and in the process, one man, Alimi Shittu, was killed, while several others were wounded.â€
Madam Batula said that prior to the attack, the community had petitioned Alakara Police Station and the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, Zone 2 Police Command, the Inspector General Of Police, Lagos State House Of Assembly and Lagos State Government over the matter, but the case has remained the same.
When our reporter visited Alakara Police Station on the matter, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), was said to be out of office but an officer at the station who declined to mention his name, confirmed the incident and that it is being investigated.
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