Two people were killed and many injured on Wednesday evening, when some hoodlums invaded the Adigboluja Police Division, in Ojodu Abiodun Community, Ogun State.
The incident, which later led to a decision by the police operatives to shut down the major road that leads to several communities in the area, occurred at about 6pm, following a misunderstanding between the hoodlums and the policemen.
Some of the residents, who witnessed the fracas, said two of the hoodlums were shot dead while many others were injured during the confrontation.
According to them, trouble started in the afternoon when some motorcycle riders raised the alarm about paying huge sums of money to both the Police and Local Government Task Force officials in the area.
The matter later degenerated into the fracas between the parties with several members of the riders who were majorly Hausa indigenes, sustaining injuries.
A resident, Gbolahan Rasak said, “This community had been thrown into pandemonium since afternoon. The worst happened this evening when the Hausa Okada riders came to attack the police station. As you can see, they have destroyed the DPO’s car; they broke the screens of several cars parked in the station and even vandalised the building.
“The policemen later responded by shooting sporadically. This eventually led to some of them being shot. I saw one of them lying on the floor for about 30 minutes before they came to carry him, and I also learnt anther one died from a stray bullet.”
“We had to run for our lives this afternoon when the whole thing started. Police were shooting and people were running up and down. Later, we heard that Okada riders were protesting against the money they pay to the police and the Local Government men daily,” another resident, Dupe Okemeri, added.
She noted that the matter became worse when one of the Okada riders died in the process and his colleagues regrouped to attack the police division.
Meanwhile, a police officer, who did not want his name mentioned, said three police officers were injured, while a rifle was seized.
He added that the Police had arrested some of the assailants.
He said, “We received a report that some of the Hausa hoodlums in the community were robbing people around the Justrite shopping mall and our men swung into action to dispel them.
“A few minutes later, after our men had arrived, we saw a crowd of Hausa men, who came to attack our division. When we realised they would kill our men with the attack, we had to repel them by shooting in the air.”
Our correspondent, who was at the scene of the incident, saw several cars and the division building vandalised. Bullet shells were also sighted on the floor in front of the division.
The division was later heavily guarded with police reinforcement in about 15 Hilux vans.
The State Police Public Relation Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, when contacted, said, “My brother, I am currently driving. Let me reach out to the division and get back to you.”
