Suspected armed robbers have killed two residents of IjuIshaga in Ogun State during an operation, which lasted for some hours last week Tuesday.
The incident, which has thrown the residents of the community in palpable fear, occurred at about 2am and lasted till around 4am.
Our correspondent gathered that the residents, who lost their lives in the incident, included a night guard and a resident, simply identified as Baba Tunde.
Residents of Odunmbaku Street, Iju Ishaga, Ogun State, where the incident occurred, told our correspondent that the robbers, numbering about 30, ransacked the community in the wee hours after killing the night guard and the resident.
A resident, Mobolaji Tunde, said that the robbers killed the only guard in the street at the back of his house with a machete.
Tunde added that the guard was tied before they dealt him several machete blows, resulting in his death, when they discovered that several shots fired at him did not have any effect.
“You can still see his blood stain over there, he was killed with a machete after they tied him. They had earlier shot him, but the bullets did not penetrate his body. We were all inside our rooms in the house, listening to the whole thing. I thought residents will go out to help the man, but nobody did. It was this morning that we heard that some people tried, but when they saw that the robbers were more than 30, they had to sneak back into their houses,” he said.
Another resident, Lawal Bosede, said, “The most painful was the death of Baba Tunde who is otherwise called Alekun. He was an auto panel beater. He was unlucky. He came out to ease himself at that time and the robbers thought he was coming to attack them. They shot him dead. This is the man that still spoke with us yesterday evening when he came back from work.”
A friend of the deceased, Wasiu Sadiq, also said, “I heard this morning that Alekun was dead and I quickly rushed down here only to see him dead. It’s painful. We were together in the workshop yesterday till we both closed and departed for our houses; I never knew that was our last moment.”
It was also gathered that no fewer than six other residents of the street were seriously injured by the gunshots fired by the suspected robbers. Another resident, who pleaded anonymity, said, “After killing the guard and Alekun, they started to raid our houses. They entered a house beside us here, where two people were seriously wounded.
One of the people injured was the head of the family, who was given a machete cut on his head and the other is a tenant, who was also stabbed on his chest and stomach. I also heard that in other houses, three people were injured seriously; they have been rushed to the hospital this morning.”
Our correspondent, who was at the scene of the robbery attack, observed the spot where the guard was killed. The night guard, it was observed, was killed behind the house of Baba Tunde, who was also shot dead in the incident. Police operatives from the Agbado Division were also reported to have visited the crime scene to evacuate the coprse of the slain guard.
The head of the Community Development Association, Mr. Adekunle Oguntade, said that the dilapidated condition of the road leading to the area made it impossible for the police to promptly respond to the residents’ distress calls as they had difficulty in accessing the community.
“During the attack, people of this community called on the police, but they could not do anything because of our road, which has become a canal.”
Oguntade, however, called on the police to flush out people of questionable character whose activities in the area constituted a threat to other residents. Ogun state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi confirmed the inccident, saying that investigation was ongoing by the police. “Investigation is ongoing on the case. We are aware of the incident. The criminals will not be speared if apprehended”.
