Suspected herdsmen kill 20 in Oyo, raze king’s palace
Suspected herdsmen in a fresh attack on Sunday morning killed no fewer than 20 residents of Igangan in Oyo State, witnesses told Peoples Gazette.
The gunmen reportedly struck the community at midnight, killing, maiming and ultimately setting houses ablaze, including the palace of the monarch in the agrarian town and a filling station.
The violence came barely a week after the chairman of Amotekun Corps in the state, Ajibola Togun, raised an alarm that some herders were planning to unleash terror on the six states across the South-West.
The community is home to Sunday Igboho, a separatist agitator pushing for Yoruba secession from Nigeria. Mr Igboho held a rally in the community recently that turned violent. He denied culpability in the mayhem that left many killed and assets destroyed.
Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed the attack on Twitter Sunday morning, describing the attack as shocking and urging residents to remain calm as security operatives have been mobilised to the community to restore order.
Tunji Omolewu, a former councilman in Igangan, told Vanguard that he counted about 20 corpses.
“I got the call around 11 pm. We were on our way from Ekiti where we had gone to do the Yoruba nation rally. I got to Ibadan around 12 am and when the calls did not stop coming, I decided to come home. I have counted more than 20 dead bodies,” he told the Lagos-based daily. “The palace of our monarch was torched. Adolak filling station too was burnt.”
A resident said that the attackers came with 20 motorcycles around 11:00 pm and started stabbing and shooting residents.
Another local politician Yemi Akinlabi said: “It is so sad. Only a few days ago, our people got an intelligence report and forwarded it to the appropriate quarters for actions but here we are today. Are we going to continue to live in fear in our land?
“I have spoken to General Toogun about last night’s incident and we would want him and his team to do something. Our people must not be allowed to resort to self-help.”
A spokesman for the police in Ibadan did not immediately return a request seeking comments about the attack.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
NationWide
Tinubu not perfect; Nigerians should give him more time before judging his policies, reforms: Jide Kosoko
“If you are building a house, you cannot assess such a building and give it a pass mark until the building is completed, ” Mr Kosoko said.
States
NOA seeks collaboration with Edo broadcasting service on public orientation
Mr Ani commended the agency for its vital role in educating Nigerians on government policies and programmes.
NationWide
Most births, deaths not officially registered, says NPC
Mr Yusuf said Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually.
Opinion
Azu Ishiekwene: Another view on the matter of akara
This chill-less generation would not only welcome the Good Samaritan but also demand authenticity and scrutinise him.
Heading 1
Asaba Incident: NCAA grounds aircraft, bans pilots from flying in Nigeria’s airspace amid probe
Mr Najomo expressed surprise over the circumstances surrounding the incident.
States
Lagos man in court for alleged N3 million Kuwait work visa fraud
The prosecutor said the offences contravene the provisions of sections 287, 314 and 411, of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
