SOUTHWEST INSECURITY: Over 5 killed, many others injured as masquerade festival holds in Ibadan

…Bamgbose masquerade’s family house burnt, Soludero, others attacked

By LAI MAHMOOD

More than five people have been reportedly killed in Ibadan in what looked like rival attacks during the ongoing annual egungun (masquerade) festival in the ancient city with many injured.

The incident which City Hill News learnt occurred on Thursday, 10 June, 2021, at Oja’gbo/Kosodo area of the city, had left everybody in the area in serious panic till the time of filing this report.

It was gathered that one masquerade named Bamgbose of Idi-Arere, like other masquerades, was supposed to visit the Oja’gbo/Kosodo area as part of his itineraries to celebrate the festival.

According to our findings, one Mr Nureni Akintola (Ajijola Anabi), President of Soludero Hunters Association of Nigeria, had earlier been contracted by leaders of the community to help them provide security for the residents in the area to prevent clashes, crisis, killing, robbery which were always normally carried out by hoodlums in the area.

Confirming the incident to City Hill News, Mr Akintola informed that he was truly engaged to secure the area to forestall any crisis that might happen in the area, “but the hoodlums have been attacking, macheting and shooting themselves already before I got there.

“They not only shoot and kill, they also use the season of the masquerade festival to steal and hijack Okadas (motorcycles) and other valuables from their victims, which also happened at Oja’gbo that Thursday.

“They wore the Agbekoya apparel, though none of them was a member of the Agbekoya movement because I know all of them —they are hoodlums within the neighborhood.

“The policemen from Agugu Divisional Police Station, Agugu-Oremeji, Ibadan, were all there.”

He said he told the police that in order not to escalate the crisis in the area, he found his way to tell Bamgbose masquerade not to pass through Oja’gbo.

“I told Bamgbose whom I met at Oloolu’s house not to pass through Oja’gbo —I told him this in front of the police officers who were with us,” Mr Akintola informed City Hill News.

King (Dr) Nureni Akintola, Soludero, as fondly called, said he returned home after alerting Bamgbose of the situation at Oja’gbo and it was not quite long that the hoodlums had gone to Bamgbose masquerade’s mother’s house and razed it down.

“After setting the Bamgbose’s house ablaze, and that of one Ilemojagba, they came straight to my house in possession of weapons as cutlasses, guns, iron bars, asking me to release one of the members of the gang that my Soludero team had arrested while he was macheting people at Oja’gbo.

“They threatened to kill me and my family members if I didn’t cooperate with and support them, which made them to smash the windscreen of my car on Friday 11 when my child was being taken to a hospital.

“Earlier, I have told the DPO of Agugu-Oremeji police station about their threats; the DPO invited them but they refused, saying I was supporting the masquerade against them.

“Ilemojagba, after setting their house ablaze, went to the hoodlums to ask them while they did that to him and was surrounded and butchered to death after which they dropped his corpse at Ile-Aperin.

“Till this moment, we don’t know where they kept the corpses of the other people they killed.

City Hill News was also alerted that same mayhem happened at Idi-Arere on Sunday 13 when one Kehinde Ege took his masquerade, Ege, to the area.

We gathered that people also died at Idi-Arere while several others were injured.

Kehinde Ege, according to our source, had earlier been warned by the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetun, Aje Ogungunniso I, not to go to Idi-Arere.

“It’s disheartening seeing these hoodlums committing such heinous acts and atrocities among the Yorubas like them, killing people like goats and chicken and the state government couldn’t do anything to stop it.

“It’s a bad omen when hoodlums are using a political leader’s house as a hideout.

“Governor Seyi Mákindé, other political leaders and elders in this city should rise to put an end to this menace,” Mr Akintola Soludero demanded.

According to City Hill News, it was however learnt that the hoodlums were still at their hotspots at Oja’gbo/Kosodo area as at the time of publishing this story perpetrating their evils.