Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has condemned the reported murder of an unspecified number of persons in Igangan town, in Ibarapa North Local Government Area by some political thugs who were said to have accompanied Governor Seyi Makinde to the community on a reelection campaign tour.
It was learnt the one Matthew Ojebisi and others whose identity were yet to be identified lost their lives in the hands of gunmen allegedly to be members of the Park Management System headed by Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi, aka Auxiliary. The hoodlums who were said to be part of the governor’s campaign team that visited the community were also allowed to have inflicted various gunshot and matchete wounds on scores of youths in the course of the violence.
Reacting to the ugly development via a statement issued on Tuesday and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC queried why Makinde and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), did not have any good projects or plans for the people of the state, particularly citizens ot Ibarapa land, except tears and agony.
“It is quite regrettable that a governor elected to function as the Chief Security Officer of the state has turned out to be a harbinger of sadness and sorrow to the people in view of incessant reports of mindless attacks and invasion by known faces who work for the government of the day. Just as reprieve was coming to the people who have suffered a lot from suspected killer herdsmen, another set of hoodlums who form the militant wing of the ruling party in the state would not allow residents to enjoy their deserved peace.
“The Tuesday violence in Igangan town which claimed the lives and properties of some hapless citizens stands condemned and we urge the global community to speak out in the interest of justice and humanity. How can a governor be moving round with murderous characters in the name of campaign tour, which usually involves sporadic shooting of guns, open display of dangerous weapons and harassment of innocent residents?
“We have it on good authority that Gov. Makinde visited Igangan on Tuesday and few minutes after he had left, his political thugs began to shoot sporadically into the thin air to register their presence and also show off their strength of violence. While this was going on, some harmless youth protested by voicing out their displeasure and this angered the leader of the invading thugs who ordered that the youths should be made to suffer for their subtle protest.
“Consequently, the youths were directly shot at and many of them sustained bullet wounds. Matthew Ojebisi and others not yet identified were killed in the process while over twenty people sustained various degrees of injury as a result of gunshot and matchete attacks. The hoodlums also went as far as invading houses to fish out residents in their hiding while they also set fire on some motorcycles and other belonging of some fleeing victims of the attacks. Reports also have it that the PMS boys removed about ten motorcycles from the streets and went away with them.
“It is on this note that we call on Gov. Makinde to be considerate on the people of the state and halt the violent activities of the PMS thugs who have been operating in all parts of the state to cause chaos and panic among the residents. It is a height of wickedness for a leader to always cause his people tears and regret all the time and therefore, Gov. Makinde owes the people of the state a duty not only to protect them but also to be a source of joy and happiness to them,” APC’s statement read.
