Some residents of Esa-Oke in Osun State have narrated how some yet-to-be-identified assailants stormed their community, opened fire on them and killed four persons for rejecting a non-indigene as traditional ruler in the town.
They also disclosed that many residents of the town were seriously injured in the attack that happened on Monday.
Some residents who spoke with The Point said those who attacked the community dressed in black attire and came in a bus.
Other sources claimed that the attackers were hoodlums who were hired by the parties in disagreement over the appointment of a monarch for Ido Ajegunle, a settlement within Esa-Oke town.
Osun State Government had last Wednesday appointed a United Kingdom-based information telecommunication expert, Timileyin Ajayi, as the Olojudo of Ido Ayegunle.
Not long after his appointment was made public, residents of Esa-Oke, who had claimed Ido Ajegunle was a village under Owamiran of Esa Oke, Oba Adeyemi Adediran, staged a protest against it, saying the newly appointed monarch is an indigene of Ilesa.
The situation escalated on Monday when some people travelling in a bus heading towards the Esa Oke Police Divisional office reportedly shot at some residents.
Some videos showed five people were shown drenched in blood after allegedly being shot by the assailants.
People protesting in the videos said the shooting was connected with Ajayi’s appointment against the wishes of Esa Oke indigenes.
A resident of the town who spoke on behalf of Esa-Oke Central Union, Oladiti Awodiran, lamented the attack, disclosing that four persons were shot dead.
He claimed that the assailants dressed in police uniform.
“My heart bleeds and my head aches as I stand before you today to inform you that men in police uniform invaded Esa Oke community and started shooting sporadically leading to the death of no fewer than 4 youth while several others were wounded in the mayhem
“The pandemonium broke out as a result of the announcement by Governor Ademola Adeleke that a stranger has been appointed as Oba or Baale in a community within Esa Oke town. The Esa Oke community had in the past vehemently resisted the attempt to install an Oba or Baale in the community as the said settlement is right inside Esa Oke town, a few meters to the campus of Osun State College of Technology Esa Oke.
“To us, the appointment of a Baale or Oba on another town’s territory negates all logic, tradition and history,” Awodiran argued.
He stated that some youths of the town have been arbitrarily arrested and moved to unknown places. Awodiran called on the state government, security agencies to investigate the alleged killing.
When contacted, the state police public relations officer, Yemisi Opalola, disclosed that no fewer than seven police operatives were on their way to Esa Oke in response to a distress call in the town when they were attacked and shot by unknown persons.
“Seven police officers were shot. One of them was hit in the neck. They were going to Esa Oke when they ran into a barricade. They alighted and were removing the barricade when some people started firing at them. One of them was hit in the neck. But we have deployed more men to the area,” she said.
