For Esther Egbeyemi, an indigene of Igboora, she would continued to remember last Saturday for good and worse. It was a day her only child was christening his baby. And it was a day the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, converged in the ancient town to flag up its 2023 campaign.
That sunny afternoon, Egbeyemi’s in-law from Iwere-Ile, who came in three buses with different foods and gifts had barely seated when they heard noise. “Within a twin of an eyes, they saw thugs, brandishing various weapons asking for who ran into our house. We were shocked because nobody ran into the house. We were celebrating the naming of my grandchild,” she narrated.
She said the attackers wore shirts with insignia of the Park Management System, PMS as well as that of the PDP, adding that they were from Ibadan because they didn’t speak Ibarapa dialect. She alleged that they were Mukaila Lamidi’s boys.
She continued: “I and others were confused. We didn’t know what was happening until they started destroying things. They broke into the house and still, they couldn’t find anybody. They were still asking for the person. It was then I started begging them. But they insisted that if we don’t produce the person, that all of us would be dealt with. They beat the hell of me for preventing them to touch the newborn. This is knife cut in my arm. They beat me with log of woods. They beat the hell out of my sons. They touched the new mother too for preventing them from carrying her baby. It was a sad experience.
“They said they were prepared for us. I cried and cried. There was nobody to rescue us. It was when they left that people suggested I went to the PDP chairman’s house to make a complaint. The old man was just coming from the campaign. Surprised, he and one Abusi, followed me to the house and were shocked too. They carried me on the bike to the Old Garrage, venue of the campaign. They were gone.
“We were later told that the person they were chasing who escaped is a PDP member. They said he had bypassed Mukaila Lamidi, chairman of the disciplinary committee of the Park Management System, PMS. Infuriated that he didn’t greet their boss, they had challenged him and in the course of the argument, they started beating one another. They overpowered him and he took to his heels. He was said to have ran towards our house,” the old woman narrated to OYOINSIGHT.COM sobbing.
Tiwalade, mother of the new child, while explaining to OYOINSIGHT.COM said they dealt her several slaps when she prevented them from carrying her baby.
”We don’t live here. We only came here, as a mark of honour, to name the baby. It happened so fast. We could not initially make meaning of what was happening until they they started beating my mother in-law and husband. They said someone ran into our house. They entered, searched everywhere but couldn’t find the person. They still threatened us to produce who we don’t know. It was a traumatic experience for me. They wanted to collect my baby, I prevented them and they started beating me. I lost my purse and phone in the process. It was later I got to know I have lost some other valuables. We are just grateful we were not killed.”
