Olayiwola Matthew
Bandits on Sunday morning killed no fewer than ten people, including a village head (Baale), in Oke-Ode area of Ifelodun Local Government in Kwara State.
A reliable source in the community (names withheld) said the outlaws invaded the area, shooting sporadically, killing, maiming, and kidnapping a yet-to-be-ascertained number of residents.
According to an interview granted by a member of a local vigilante group in the town, identified simply as Ajetunmobi, monitored on a local radio (Sobi FM), the government was not doing well enough to nip insurgency in the state.
Reacting to an earlier claim that the security in the area repelled the invaders, the vigilante said government merely engaged in propaganda over the incident.
“We have been hearing that the bandits were around the community since Saturday night, and we sent out messages to security operatives to be prepared.
To our surprise, this (Sunday) morning the attackers started the attack from the duty post, targeting the vigilantes,” he said.
According to him, among those killed were community members identified as Oji, Saheed Metubi, Baale Ógba Ayo, among others.
He, however, disclosed that corpses had been taken to the police station, while the injured were rushed to the General Hospital in Share.
Meanwhile, the National President of the Oke-Ode Community Development Association, Alhaji Ganiyu Ajala, condemned the killings, urging the state government to intensify security measures.
“While commending the government on the various security measures already put in place, we call for a redoubling of efforts towards completely routing these undesirable elements from the Oke-Ode axis and the entire state in general,” Ajala said.