Jimoh and seven other members of the community were allegedly attacked by suspected members of the Oodua People’s Congress and some hoodlums during a meeting in his office last Friday.
After the attack, the suspects fled from the crime scene, while the injured victims, including Jimoh, were allegedly taken to a private hospital for treatment.
The deceased’s elder brother, Aliu, said the suspects, who were led by the OPC coordinator in the area, one Akeem, used machetes to cut Jimoh in the head and neck, adding that he died while doctors were battling to save his life.
The 50-year-old said, “What I gathered was that the OPC members mobilised themselves and some hoodlums to avenge the injury to one of them during a fire incident in the community. So, my brother heard of the impending crisis in the area and called the OPC coordinator, Akeem, for a meeting to settle the issue.
“It was during that meeting that about 50 persons made up of the OPC members and hoodlums started throwing bottles at my brother and his partners.
“They wanted to run, but Akeem assured them that he had his boys under control, but he abandoned them when the attack became intense. My brother didn’t have the strength to run; so he hid somewhere and they found him and used machetes to cut him in the head and three times in his neck. A doctor operated on him from 12am till 4am and we thought he would survive, but he died around 3am on Monday.”
Before the attack, it was learnt that a yet-to-be identified OPC member was injured while taking advantage of the inferno at Agbaje in Abule-Ado to loot shops and rob unsuspecting members of the public of their valuables.
A member of the community, one Toba, accompanied by other persons, was said to have resisted the looters and in the process, the OPC member was injured.
Annoyed by the intervention, an eyewitness, Jelili Amida, said that the OPC members and hoodlums mobilised to terrorise the residents and destroy properties in Agbaje before attacking those who attended the meeting.
He alleged that Akeem and his cohorts ignored the pleas of the paramount ruler of Abule-Ado, Oba Abdulateef Olayinka, and his chiefs not to the disturb the peace of the community.
The deceased’s wife, Ayo, demanded justice for Jimoh and blamed Akeem for his death.
“I was with my husband in a party when Akeem called him for the meeting and he was the one who pointed at my husband when his boys started attacking people in the meeting. I blame him for my husband’s death and I want justice,” she stated.
The Olisa of Abule-Ado, Chief Ayodele Olaitan, said the police, who were contacted after the attack, had arrested some of the hoodlums responsible for Jimoh’s death, including Akeem.
Oba Olayinka alleged that the hoodlums were also planning to attack his palace and urged the government to provide security in the community for the protection of lives and properties.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, who confirmed the attack said, the state Commissioner of Police had transferred the case to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, for further investigation.
Elkana stated, “On Saturday, September 28, 2019, around 9.30pm, one Afisi Otun-Oba of No. 12 Ago Palace Street, Abule-Ado, came to the station and reported that the previous day around 10.20pm, some boys suspected to be OPC/cult members invaded their offices with cutlasses, bottles and other weapons and attacked everybody in the office and dealt machete blows on one Chief Muritala Jimoh of Abule Ado.
“Jimoh sustained serious injuries on his head and neck and was rushed to a private hospital in Satellite Town, where he was placed on admission. The complainant further stated that the hoodlums made away with the victim’s Samsung phone valued at N50,000 as well as one Nokia phone valued at N30,000 and N2.2m that was kept in the office.
“The state Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, has ordered the Homicide Department of the SCIID, Panti, Yaba, to take over the investigation.”
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Crime