…Say 46 Killed In Mayhem

The Police yesterday put the casualty figure of this month’s mayhem in Ile-Ife, Osun State, at 46 dead and 81 injured.
Twenty suspects were paraded for allegedly being involved directly or indirectly in the killings and destruction of properties .
Displaying gory pictures of the mayhem, the police noted that knives and axes were used to attack those killed before their bodies were burnt.
The police said 96 injured people were taken to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital. 81 were treated and discharged while 15 are still receiving treatment.
Some of the suspects paraded are; Eluwole Akeem, Eluwole Kuburat, Ayoola Abimbola, Bello Wahab, Prophet Taiwo Fakuwajo, Oba Ademola Ademiluyi, Elufisan Akintoye, Peter Omisope, Adefisan Isaac and Adelekan Kehinde.
Others are: Elufisan Akintoye, Omisanmi Isaac, Olarewaju Daniel, Seyi Akinyombo, Adejube Monday, Olarewaju Adebayo, Akanbi Adeyinka, Obimakinde Samuel, Alhaji Zakariyau Abdulyekini, Bamidele Elusanmi, Jimoh Sakiru, Clement Kehinde, and Clement Kehinde.
Some of the exhibits recovered from the suspects include knives and axes.
The Police spokesman Jimoh Moshood said: “ The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris deployed Police Special Intervention Force, comprising Five Units of the Police Mobile Force , Five Cells of Counter Terrorism Unit, Conventional Policemen, Special Anti Robbery Squad, Intelligence Response Team, Technical Intelligence Unit, SIB, detachment of EOD, Police K9 (Sniffer Dogs Section), with their Headquarters in Ile-Ife, led by the Commissioner of Police in charge of PMF, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
”The operations covered the entire Ile-Ife and environs, and other flash/troubled spots in Osun State, and was successfully executed leading to the arrest, detention and investigation of 38 suspects out of which 20 suspects were found culpable for direct and indirect participation in the killing of innocent people, maiming and destruction of properties of the victims worth millions of naira, they will be prosecuted on completion of investigation,
”The remaining 18 suspects have been released unconditionally for lack of prima facie evidence against them yet.”
On what led to the clash, Moshood said: “On 7th March 2017 at about 2010hrs, one Alh. Nasiru Abdul Magaji of no. 50, Sabo Street, Ile-Ife, Osun State reported at the Moore Police Station that one Oba Ademola Ademiluyi the Lawarikan of Apoje land, one Eluwole Akeem and Kuburat wife of Eluwole Akeem all of Ile-Ife, brought some hoodlums with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons to attack the Hausas resident at Sabo area of Ile Ife over a fight between one Abubakar Mohammed of Sabo and Kuburat the wife of Eluwole Akeem.
”The affray which arose from an altercation between the said Kuburat and Mohammed, was amicably settled on Monday, 6th March 2017.
He added: “Based on the report at the Moore Police Station, a case of conduct likely to cause breach of the peace was made against the duo of Kuburat and Mohammed and on getting to the scene; the Police team met two groups comprising the Hausa and the Yoruba throwing stones at each other.
”The riotous groups were dispersed and calm was restored. The responding Police teams maintained presence at Sabo area of Ile Ife up till the next day.
”Unexpectedly, on Wednesday 8th March, the peace of the area was shattered with the eruption of crisis that led to the gruesome killings of 46 people.
”A total of 96 other persons were taken to Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH) out of which 81 of them were treated and discharged, while 15 of the victims are still on admission receiving treatment.
”The Special Intervention Force deployed to quell the crisis did not engage in indiscriminate arrests as being reported in some media but worked on actionable intelligence and other information gathered during and after the crisis. And that is why 18 suspects found not to be involved in the crisis were released unconditionally.”
One the suspects, Oba Ademiluyi, who denied been involved in the clash said he was on his way home when he noticed that some people blocked the road in Sabo area of Ife.
”I was in Sabo area around 7pm, I noticed that vehicles were turning back. Three guys approached me and said I should try to quell the tension but I told them that I could not speak Hausa. I went home that day using the Lagere route. I arrived home around 9pm. The following day, I went to Lagos and I decided to report the case at Barbeach police station and I was given a serial number. But unknown to me that I would be arrested later. I have no involvement whatsoever in the clash”, he insisted.