Chaos broke out in Ilisan Remo in Ikenne Local Government, Ogun state on Tuesday as a detachment of soldiers and police clashed with a mob of Hausa youths over their insistence on killing an army officer alleged to have been part of a two-man gang who had attacked one of them and wanted to disappear with his motorcycle.
Our correspondent, who was present at the scene, reported that one of the putative thieves was clubbed and burnt to death, while the other young man, who was allegedly dressed in an army uniform, ran inside one of the buildings after being stabbed.
However, the Hausa mob banded together and promised to deal with the escapee in the same way they dealt with his accomplice.
All pleas from community leaders and the first responders fell on deaf ears, as they insisted on killing the military troops in hiding, claiming that they have suffered greatly from people who generally assault them and steal their bikes.
A unit of soldiers in two pickup vehicles eventually arrived, shooting intermittently into the air and sending people fleeing for safety.
To quiet the disturbance, the Nigeria Police Sagamu Area Command dispatched an armoured tank to the Ilisan crossroads.
A village resident who requested anonymity told our correspondent that many Hausas had lost their motorcycles to these criminals. He did, however, admonish their insistence on enforcing their own laws.
“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.
Otunba Wemmy Osude, Chairman of the Ilisan Development Association, stated in a statement on Tuesday that Hausa youths captured two suspects for stealing a motorcycle.
“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.
Captain Idereghi Akari, Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for the 35th Artillery Brigade in Alamala, Abeokuta, verified the event to our correspondent Wednesday.
Akari, however, stated that the soldier alleged to have been wounded by the Hausas was not a thief and that the person slain was a civilian, vowing to get back to our journalist for additional details.
“The soldier is not a thief. The deceased person is a civilian,” he said.
