Seven policemen, others injured in Osun community chieftaincy dispute
Tamarauemi Ebimini
Many residents of Esa-Oke in Osun State and about seven police operatives were injured on Monday when shots were fired at them by some yet-to-be-identified assailants.
While some residents said those who attacked the community dressed in black attire and came in a bus, other people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid being targeted noted that the attackers were hoodlums who were hired by the parties in disagreement over the appointment of a monarch for Ido Ajegunle.
The state police public relations officer, Yemisi Opalola, said the police operatives were on their way to Esa Oke in response to a distress call when the incident happened.
Opalola said, “Seven police officers were shot. One of them was hit in the neck. They were going to Esa Oke when they ran into a barricade. They alighted and were removing the barricade when some people started firing at them. One of them was hit in the neck. But we have deployed more men to the area.”
Osun State Government had last Wednesday appointed a United Kingdom-based information telecommunication expert, Prince Timileyin Oluyemi Ajayi, as the Olojudo of Ido Ayegunle.
Not long after his appointment was made public, residents of Esa-Oke, who had claimed Ido Ajegunle was a village under Owamiran of Esa Oke, Oba Adeyemi Adediran, staged a protest against it, saying the newly appointed royal father is an indigene of Ilesa.
Tension over the development, which was gathered, escalated last Friday when Esa Oke indigenes staged a peace protest against Atayi’s appointment.
However, the situation got worse on Monday, when some people travelling in a bus heading towards the Esa Oke Police Divisional office reportedly shot at some residents.
In some footage obtained from residents, five people were shown drenched in blood after allegedly being shot by the assailants.
A resident, who preferred to be identified as Oladele, said the shooting was not unconnected with Ajayi’s appointment against the wishes of Esa Oke indigenes.
When contacted, Osun spokespersons for the Amotekun Corps, Yusuf Idowu, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Kehinde Adeleke, both said their organisations had deployed operatives to the scene of the incident.
