Four killed, many injured as gunmen attack Osun community

No fewer than four persons were confirmed dead and many others injured in Ido-Ayegunle community, Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State, following an attack by yet-to-be-identified gunmen who stormed the town on Thursday evening.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Zachariah Abiodun, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent in Osogbo, adding that relative calm had been restored in the area.

According to him, the state Commissioner of Police visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment and to ensure that peace and order are maintained.

When asked if any arrests had been made, Abiodun said none had been recorded as of the time of filing this report, but assured that the perpetrators would be identified and brought to justice.

He explained that security personnel had been deployed to the troubled area to maintain peace.

“The violence was a result of an ongoing boundary tussle between the Esa-Oke and Ido Aiyegunle communities. The problem erupted as a result of ongoing boundary dispute between Esa-Oke and Ido Aiyegunle community.”

“I have spoken with the Divisional Police Officer. When we got information about the attack, we moved in swiftly. By the time we got there, houses have been burnt.

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“Also, many lives have been lost. When the perpetrators sighted the police, they fled into the bush. Our personnel heard voices coming from one of the wells in the town but rescue efforts was delayed and four of the people brought out from the well were confirmed dead at the hospital.

“We have our personnel in the town and on ground to secure the peace.”

It was gathered that the attackers, who unleashed terror on the community that ill-fated day, were said to be armed with guns, broken bottles, cutlasses, knives, and other dangerous weapons.

Investigations revealed that the gunmen, described as merciless in their operations, stormed the community in large numbers with a fierce and violent disposition.

Meanwhile, an eyewitness who spoke to our correspondent suggested that the invasion might not be unconnected with the unresolved land dispute between Ido-Ayegunle and Esa-Oke communities.

The eyewitness, identified as Adebayo Olaide, alleged that the attackers came from Esa-Oke community to carry out the assault.

He said that, apart from killing the victims, several others sustained serious injuries during the attack, which was marked by extreme violence and disregard for human life.

Some residents were reportedly abducted, others thrown into a well, and many houses razed by the hoodlums, forcing numerous residents to flee the community in search of safety.

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