There was chaos in Ilisan Remo, Ikenne Local Government, as a detachment of soldiers and police clash with a group of Hausa youths who insisted on killing an army officer who they claimed was a member of a two-man gang that had attacked one of them and was planning to flee on his motorcycle.
It was learnt that one of the accused thieves had been stabbed to death, while the other young man, who was reported to be wearing an army uniform, had fled into one of the buildings after been stabbed.
Nonetheless, the Hausa youths gathered and promised to handle the fugitive in the same manner that they handled his accomplice.
They insisted on killing the military personnel who went into hiding, citing their suffering at the hands of people who regularly assault them and collect their bikes, despite the community leaders’ and the police’s pleas for mercy.
Later, two pickup vehicles carrying a detachment of troops arrived, firing intermittently into the air, causing civilians to flee for their lives.
In order to diffuse the situation, the Nigerian Police’s Sagamu Area Command had earlier sent an armoured tank to the Ilisan junctions.
Many Hausas have lost their motorcycles to these attackers, according to a village resident who pleaded anonymity.
He, however, condemned their insistence on taking laws into their own hands.
“Some of these Hausas have lost their motorcycles to these attackers in recent times but the right thing to do is to follow the law.
“It is wrong of them to be insisting on carrying out jungle justice. This was how they almost burned down the police station about three years ago because they insisted on killing two suspected bike thieves who were being held in custody at Ilisan police station.
“Today, they have killed one of the suspects and we gathered that the one wearing an army uniform who escaped into one of the buildings might not make it too because he had been wounded with a knife. This can’t continue, it is wrong,” the source said.
The Chairman of Ilisan Development Association, Otunba Wemmy Osude, in a statement on Tuesday, said the Hausa youths apprehended two suspects for stealing a motorcycle (okada).
“One of the suspects was caught by a mob and tragically set on fire. The other suspect, who was dressed in an army uniform, sought refuge in a nearby house.
“A large crowd of over 200 young northerners gathered outside the house, demanding the release of the suspect. Despite efforts to disperse the mob, they remained defiant.
“The situation intensified until the Army intervened with a commando-style rescue operation, successfully evacuating the suspect.
“During the operation, a shootout occurred as soldiers responded to the increasingly hostile crowd, who began throwing stones and damaging two vehicles.
“The soldiers displayed remarkable bravery and professionalism, using tear gas to disperse the mob and restore order to the area,” the statement read.
The Assistant Director Army Public Relations 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta, Captain Idereghi Akari, confirmed the incident on Wednesday.
Akari, however, said that the soldier alleged to have been wounded by the Hausas was not a thief while the person killed was a civilian.
“The soldier is not a thief. The deceased person is a civilian,” he said.
