During a nocturnal attack on Wednesday in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, suspected thugs destroyed homes worth millions of naira in the Aaje, Exchange, Ladanu, and Ijeru neighbourhoods.
Six cars were damaged during the incident, and two water tanks—one belonged to a trader in the Exchange area, and the other to the Aaje Primary Health Centre—were allegedly taken and burnt by the thugs.
According to Ogbomoso Insight Online, the thugs who broke into the neighbourhood at around 12 am ransacked stores and assaulted a night guard who was on duty.
Residents of Aaje, who requested anonymity for their remarks, said: “We were soundly sleeping when the neighbourhood was attacked, which caused everyone to be overcome by dread. We were unable to leave in the dark.
The attackers arrived in the region on Tuesday night around 8pm, but were repelled by local adolescents, the man continued.
“They first invaded the area—Aaje—at about 8pm on Tuesday, but we repelled them. We thought that was all, they now reinforced and returned for the attack at about 12am, bearing dangerous weapons like cutlasses, axes, knives etc. Their number was overwhelming, and they had a field day destroying vehicles and houses; they even smashed blocks arranged in front of a home, about 100 units of blocks.
According to a source, the locals claimed they had been worried about the region because “we saw grim-faced young boys moving around at daylight, perhaps surveying the area.”
The informant went on to say that a security guard was cruelly tortured in one workshop in the Aaje region.
An unnamed man hinted, “the invasion’s purpose was to steal and destroy properties.”
It was learned that the perpetrators may have had a problem with the Jaribola workers who collect old iron objects in the Aaje area. At the same time, a second source suggested the invasion may have been carried out by the notorious “Wahala N Payan Boys” gang in the Ijeru area. This source noted the gang’s history of brazenly terrorising neighbourhoods, especially after street carnivals in any part of the city.
Officers from the police and civil defence have come to the area since the case was reported to the Owode police station.
