Rampaging suspected land grabbers have killed a 24-year-old plumber identified simply as Femi and another yet-to-be-identified person in Orile Eegun Kara Nla via Mowe in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.
This is just as another set of suspected land grabbers took over 13 villages in Shimawa in the Sagamu Local Government area of the state and chased the occupants away.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the Orile Eegun Kara Nla incident happened around 12noon on Friday when the hoodlums invaded the community to enforce a court judgment on some acres of land.
An eyewitness said the hoodlums, upon sighting some labourers who were employed to work on the land, opened fire on them.
While some of them managed to escape in the process, Femi who also attempted to flee the scene got hit by a bullet in the back. Another worker was also shot in the arm.
The eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation said, “Some hoodlums were brought into the community on Thursday. They were seen holding different kinds of weapons as they started to assault people who built houses on some parts of the land and threatened them to vacate the community or make a repayment.
“They came again on Friday and started to shoot indiscriminately to scare people. When they got to where the labourers were working, they fired gunshots at them and a bullet hit Femi in the back as he tried to escape. Another worker was also shot in the arm.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday.
In the statement titled “No criminal can hibernate in Ogun State,” the PPRO said a case of murder, armed robbery and land grabbing was reported to the Mowe Police Division by an anonymous caller.
The statement read partly, “CSP Afeniforo Folake arrived at the scene and unfortunately discovered that bullets had hit two persons, who have been identified by the police. Their corpses were evacuated to the hospital for autopsy.
Meanwhile, residents of Shimawa town have cried out to the state government for help.
Leading a protest, a community leader in the town, Tiamiyu Fasasi, said the land grabbers claimed to own the 13 villages in the town.
The villages include Shimawa axis, Igbo Iwaju, Ososa, Oke Ate, Aiyetoro, Okerala, Ajebo, Kaniyi, Ewu Ijebu, , Mamugba, Ewu Oje, Ewu Lisa, Ewulosi and Otasanya.
Fasasi explained that the land issue started in 2018 when a court judgment was being enforced.
He said, “We are appealing to the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, Kabiyesi of Shimawa and the police that they should please help us to get rid of these land grabbers, we are not families, they don’t have land here, they just came from nowhere, we are not a party to their case when they were in court.”
The PPRO, who pleaded for more time to study the case, described the incident as a civil case.
“The fleeing suspects snatched four Bajaj motorcycles at gunpoint and wounded the motorcycle owners in a bid to use their motorcycles to escape. The motorcycle owners are recuperating in the hospital.
“The Tactical Unit gave the criminals a chase, which made the criminals abandon their Toyota Corolla, a gold colour saloon car with number plate JJJ 979 HL LAGOS, which is presently parked at the Mowe Police Station.
“Monsuru Ishola has been arrested for questioning for allegedly playing a role.
Three suspects in connection with this case have been arrested at a hideout in Kara Ileke village via Mowe. Their names and identity will be published in the cause of further updates.”
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