Gov Abiodun Not Yet In Control!… Residents Insist Robbers Still Tormenting People Of Ogun State

Charles Oyelesi

On April 10 the government of Ogun State released a statement signed by AIG Sola Subair (retired) the Special Assistant on Security respect to the spate of robberies rocking Ogun State that the government is on top of the situation.

But the reality on ground states otherwise societynow.ng learned.

Information at hand revealed that to its credit the Dapo Abiodun administration has initiated some responses to the public outcry – but the government is not yet in firm control of the situation.

Resident sources in some of the major places affected by the attacks by robbers and burglars disclose they are still battling the menace.

Societynow.ng confirmed that yesterday, – April 11, 2020 – armed men numbering about 20 stormed Ikire in Ado-Odo Ota and wreaked havoc on the residents early in the morning.

“They attacked people in their homes assaulted and forcefully took their properties. The people in the neighboring communities mobilized and repelled them. It was like a war zone.” a source disclosed.
Societynow.ng gathered that youths and middle-aged men in the Ikire and the communities that surrounded it took to arms and barricaded all the access roads.

“Cars and Okadas (commercial motorcycles)   were turned back and strangers were thoroughly grilled. People moved freely with cutlasses and other weapons they could use to defend themselves as the communities go after the armed robbers” a source disclosed.

The tension was scaled down at about 3 p.m when the many retired home to prepare for the night watch.

Societynow.ng gathered while this was happening, in the border area of Alakuko -Agbado another set of criminals were at work.

“They struck early in the morning attacking people in their homes, the cries for help from the victims sprang other members of the communities into action and they rose up against the armed thieves and repelled them, but the police came later and stationed a patrol van for a couple of hours” societynow.ng learned.
Another narrated the people in Itori, Ewekoro local government experienced a worse scenario.

” The robbers had a field day Friday overnight yesterday morning, they operated as a mob and were so mean in their operation that some of the women were sexually assaulted” a source narrated
Societynow.ng gathered that in the state capital Abeokuta, some vandals operating like a mob attacked shops and made away with traders wares, particularly foodstuff.

Societynow.ng gathered that despite the “on top of the situation” assertion by the governor Abiodun residents of the places under attack continue self-help to protect their homes and family.

“We still do our night watch..we can’t afford to lose the little we have to armed robbers and not to talk of the harm they will inflict if they have their way” a source resident in Ota disclosed today.

The checks made by societynow.ng revealed that the Ogun State government disclosed 150 alleged armed robbers have been arrested by the police in a widespread clampdown of vandals in the state.

“It is a good start but this doesn’t put the government on top of the situation. It does not show the Government has secured every area, just like events later showed budgeting relief materials for 500,000 homes does not feed the over 7million resident Ogun state” a source pointed out.

The general feeling about the arrest of 150 alleged robbers in the face of public outcry over incessant attacks by hoodlums in Ogun State is that “time will tell the impact of such a move”.