Following investigation death of a member of criminal gang at Sasa in Ibadan on Saturday, hoodlums have launched revengeful attack on Amuludun FM Radio Station, vandalising vehicles, doors and windows of the media house.
The hoodlums were said to have invaded the media house following an earlier raid carried out on the hideout of some criminals around Sasa area on Saturday.
Members of the Soludero Hunters, a vigilante group, had reportedly engaged some alleged criminals around the area.
However, in a bid to avenge the death of their colleague, the hoodlums, who believe the Soludero Hunters have a post within the FRCN outfit invaded the media house.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Sunday, Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State, Adewale Osifeso said when the hoodlums could not find any of their targets, they became agitated and destroyed four cars parked in the premises of the radio station.
The statement reads, “Sequel to the face-off between members of Soludero, a local vigilante group and some criminal elements around Sasa Area, Ojo, Akinyele LGA of Oyo State while on routine patrol, yesterday Saturday 31st July 2021, at about 0400HRS during which one Kabati ‘m’, a member of the criminal gang sustained gunshot injuries and was confirmed dead at the hospital.
“Consequent upon this, the hoodlums in their numbers stormed the Soludero presumed office, located at the premises of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Amuludun 99.1 FM, Moniya Ibadan in a bid to launch a reprisal.
“Preliminary investigation gathered from an on the spot assessment shows that, upon the arrival of the Hoodlums, they became agitated as none of their targets was on sight.
“Consequently, windscreens/glasses of four vehicles parked on the premises were broken along with the glass door at the entrance of the media outfit. With this, it can be inferred that the attack was not targeted directly at the media outfit but members of the vigilante group.”
Osifeso added that the perpetrators would be arrested and made to face justice.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council on Sunday decried Saturday’s invasion of Radio Nigeria’s Amuludun FM in Moniya, Ibadan by suspected hoodlums.
Oyo NUJ decries attack on Amuludun FM, calls for arrest of perpetrators
Some hoodlums had attacked the station and destroyed vehicles belonging to the staffers of the corporation and vandalised some properties in the process.
The Union in a statement signed by its Chairman and Secretary, Comrades Ademola Babalola and Sola Oladapo respectively, tasked the State Police Commmand to immediately swing into action and effect the arrest of the perpetrators to serve as deterrent to others.
It regretted that such heinous crime could send jitters than the spines of hapless Journalists and expose them to danger of monumental proportion.
It therefore called on the security agencies to unravel the circumstances that led to such unbridled and mindless attacks on a media facility with a view of bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Stressing that an injury to one is an injury to all, the NUJ condemned the attack and described same as wicked, lawless and uncivilised, adding that, “immediate arrest of the culprits would go a long way in restoring sanity to the area and ultimately allow staffers in the corporation to carry out their duties in a sane and safer environment forthwith.”
The Union therefore sympathised with the management of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and colleagues who were affected by the attack, admonishing them to be steadfast
It also called on the Oyo State Government to support the station and those who either lost their valuables or had their vehicles vandalised while the senseless attack lasted.
