…From Dele Ogunyemi, Ibadan…
A night carnival at Idikan area of Ibadan, Oyo State capital, virtually turned bloodbath early Friday morning as hoodlums wreaked havoc in the locality damaging no fewer than vehicles, majority of which are commercial buses.
In what looked like a premeditated attack, the invaders allegedly stormed on the neighbourhood and also sexually attacked about fifteen women while some other people reportedly got wounded during the fracas.
Independent investigation carried out at the Idikan vicinity on Saturday morning showed that thirty-one vehicles were having their windscreen, side glasses and general body badly damaged. Residents however revealed that many of the affected vehicles, particularly those whose owners were not resident in the area, had been taken away.
Among the badly damaged vehicles sighted by newsmen at the vicinity were a Toyota car with Registration Number AA 621 RGB; a Golf car with Registration Number EE 458GGE;a Toyota Carina car with Registration Number AQ 602 AGL;a Ford Bus with Registartion Number AA759 MUS; another Ford Bus with Registration NumberXM729KJA;and a Toyota Hiace Bus with Registration Number GMD 75XA.
Sources revealed that a carnival was organized by some residents of the area on Thursday night while those who attended the carnival were already having the best of fun until about 9 o’clock in the night when some hoodlums stormed the venue of the carnival, apparently with a view to cause confusion.
It was gathered that the organizers of the event initially repelled the hoodlums who reportedly stormed the area again at about midnight allegedly with dangerous weapons including guns, knives and cutlasses, when the deed was eventually done.
It was further gathered that the few policemen around the venue of the event had to take off on sighting the large number of the hoodlums and the dangerous weapons they were brandishing.
In effect, the hoodlums reportedly disrupted the carnival and inflicted injuries on whoever came their way just as they reportedly assaulted some of the women at the event sexually. In addition, the hoodlums reportedly damaged all the vehicles parked at both sides of the roads at Idikan and other adjoining areas of Ayeye and Opooyeosa while they also ransacked and stole valuables including money, handsets, lease agreement forms and clothes found inside some of the vehicles.
An eye witness who is also a victim told inquisitive journalists that the hoodlums stormed the area few minutes after midnight and damaged all the vehicles parked at both sides of the roads despite the fact that their owners were not at the carnival.
Residents of Idikan and the adjourning Ayeye and Opooyeosa insisted that “the hoodlums assaulted women and inflicted injuries on several people in addition to damaging all the vehicles parked at both sides of the roads at Idikan and Ayeye.”
Men of the state Special Security outfit codenamed “Operation Burst” were seen patrolling the neighbourhood for most part of the day.
However, it could not be established as at the time of going to press whether or not any arrest had been made in connection with the incident as the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) for the state command, DSP Bisi Okwobi Ilobanefo could still not be reached.