Angry youths in Akinyele local government area on Friday trooped out en-masse to protest the recent killings in the area attacking police officers in the process.
The youths took to the street after waking up to the news of the death of a middle-aged woman, Mrs. Olufunmilayo, who was reportedly macheted to death by yet to be identified assailants on Thursday evening.
OYOINSIGHT.COM recalls that the area has in the last few months been in the news for alleged ritual killing of both young and the old.
Even though a number of arrest has been made by the police who maintained efforts are ongoing to apprehend other perpetrators of the dastardly acts who were still at large, the killings had continued.
Confirming the incident in an interview with Saturday Vanguard, the state’s Police Public Relations Office, SP Gbenga Fadeyi disclosed that the the woman died in the process of the serious injuries inflicted on her at the University College Hospital (UCH) on Thursday night.
He said further: “The information got to us from Moniya Police Divisional Crime Officer that around 4:00pm yesterday (Thursday), one Mrs Olufunmilayo was attacked and macheted on the head. In the process, she sustained serious injuries.”
“The assailants ran away. She taken to the University College Hospital (UCH) for immediate medical attention where she died later in the night. And youths in the area came out this morning (Friday) and started protesting on the issue and at the end of the day, they started attacking policemen from Moniya area command.”
They seriously attacked our men, trying to cause breakdown of law and order. They took laws into their hands, which is not supposed to be the next thing to do.”
“The police are always there to do what they are supposed to do and we will continue to do more.”
“If incident happened, they should allow the police to look into it and investigate in order to unravel the mystery behind it, not to carry out protest and it becomes a violent one, attacking the police.”
“But as the case is now, no arrest has been made, because the issue is still in. We will surely get the details,” he assured.
Reacting to the unfortunate incident, the Caretaker Chairman of Akinyele Local Government, Mr. Taoreed Jimoh, shed light to what led to the protest by the angry youths.
Saturday Sun quoted him as saying that “I was surprised. It was after the incident here that the man called Baba Barakat came to my palace to tell me that the boy that killed Barakat, he saw him at Elewure in this Akinyele yesterday and today. I said no, I can’t believe it. He said he saw him and I said no. I sent the palace boys to go and investigate where they said they saw him, they came back to tell me that it was true. The problem with our people is that by the time they saw that boy, they did not inform anybody. I was not informed.
“Later, I phoned somebody that I learnt this boy has been released and he said no, the boy escaped from police custody. The boy escaped from police custody and nobody was aware? I said he has done another thing in Akinyele, he has killed somebody again. They said we should find means of apprehending him. Since that yesterday (Thursday), I called all the youths. Then, all the Soludero Hunters and we sent them out to be on the lookout for that boy. Since yesterday evening, up till this morning, we could not locate the whereabouts of that boy.”
The Caretaker Chairman of Akinyele Local Government, Taoreed Adedigba, also said: “We heard that the woman was attacked with machete. She was rescued immediately and taken to UCH. So, we heard the report that she died this morning. That was what prompted residents to embark on a mass protest.
“Unfortunately, the peaceful protest was hijacked by hoodlums. The hoodlums went to the extent of pelting security operatives with stones and other objects. But with the help of God, peace is gradually returning to the area and it is under control.
“I have called Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) and he has deployed more officers to the area. Also, I called the Area Commander and Federal SARS and other security operatives and local security agents such as Soludero Hunters and others have arrived the area to calm the situation. The Alakinyele of Akinyele, Oba James Odeniran was also on ground to rescue few police officers that the hoodlums manhandled.
“The killing was carried out by suspected ritualists. Residents suspected a ritualist, who was reportedly arrested by the police, but allegedly escaped from their custody; he was seen in Akinyele two days ago and yesterday, the residents had to raise the alarm and people are suspecting he was the one that carried out the dastardly act.”
