All gates to the Oyo State Secretariat have been shut against youths who are protesting against the gruesome killings, maiming and looting at Baba Onilu Shopping Complex at Iwo Road area of Oyo State by Governor Seyi Makinde’s appointed members of Oyo State Park Management System led by Mukaila Auxiliary.
The angry protesters stormed the state Secretariat after Engr. Makinde walked out on them earlier today.
The News Carrier NG reports that two persons were killed and several injured as Auxiliary boys unleashed terror on shop owners on Wednesday.
The attack on the shop owners was said to be a continuation of an earlier attack and a counter attack between the Auxilliary’s boys and members of the proscribed National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on Monday.
It was gathered that Monday’s attack resulted in the death of two persons, one each from both Auxiliary and NURTW.The incident happened around Oremeji-Agugu area of Ibadan.
However, the situation assumed a dangerous dimension on Wednesday when Auxiliary’s boys stormed the Baba Onilu, at Iwo Road roundabout, attacking the shops where phones were being sold.
They were said to have unleashed terror on the phone sellers and shop owners, destroying kiosk, showglasses, and every available items while also looting goods worth over N500m
A member of the NURTW was said to have been killed in the process while many others suffered varying degrees of injuries.
Also, the son of one of the shop owners, simply identified as Ahmed was killed in an effort to identify those formenting trouble on the property.
There were conflicting reports about Ahmed’s death.
While some said Ahmed, who was described as gentle and peace-loving was attacked with a machette, other unconfirmed reports said he was hit with a charm.
The incident led to pandemonium as people, commuters and road-users scamper for safety while the crisis lasted.
Sources said Auxiliary’s boys fired several gunshots and in an effort to defend themselves, members of the NURTW engaged them in a gun battle.
Many shops, business owners, traders and corporate organisations including banks who were caught in the cross fire hurriedly closed for the day.
After normalcy was returned, angry youths in the area who discovered the body of Ahmed carried his corpse to the State Secretariat, at Agodi, Ibadan.
The protesters carrying the corpse arrived at the Governor’s Office shortly after the weekly security meeting with heads of security agnecies in the state,demanding and audience with the governor.
Makinde, however, failed to address them.
Men of the state anti-crime patrol team, Operation Burst and Amotekun Corps were immediately drafted to the State Secretariat.
The intervention of government functionaries and presence of the security operatives prevented the issue from degenerating into another crisis within the Secretariat Complex.
After much persuasion, the corpse of Ahmed was abandoned at the Governor’s Office by the protesters. The corpse was later conveyed to the morgue in an ambulance by the state government.
