Our correspondent learnt on Friday that the fresh violence started on Wednesday during an Inter-house sports competition at Origbo Community High School, Ipetumodu.
It was however not clear what led to the fight between youths from the two communities, which was said to have snowballed into a communal clash in which guns and other weapons were reportedly used freely.
Our correspondent learnt that during the clash, some youths burnt down the popular Akinola Market, which they said was located on a piece of land belonging to Ipetumodu.
One of the leaders of Ipetumodu community, Chief Adedeji Asalu, alleged that the fight started when some youths from Asipa went to Origbo High School to stop them from holding the inter-house sports competition.
Asalu said, “ Asipa people went and disrupted the inter-house sports competition at Origbo Community High School. That was not all; they went to Akinola Market and set the place ablaze. They also pulled down part of our civic centre.
“They shot nine indigenes of Ipetumodu. Three of them were taken to a hospital for treatment.”
He identified some the victims as Dada, Sunday Eye, Niyi Bamgbofe , Apase , Musbau and Moshood, but added that none of them died.
Asalu further alleged that apart from setting the Akinola Market ablaze, Asipa youths went and shot at people at the market on Friday morning to scare traders away from the market.
Our correspondent also learnt that the Commissioner of Police in the state had invited representatives of the two warring communities to the police headquarters in Osogbo for a meeting.
A chief from Asipa community, Julius Ojerinde, described the allegations by Ipetumodu people against his community as fabrications.
He alleged that indigenes of Ipetumodu were angry because the White Paper on the 2015 crisis between the two communities favoured Asipa .
He accused Ipetumodu community of using the inter-house sports competition as an opportunity to attack youths from Asipa because of the content of the White Paper, which he said had become a subject of litigation.
Ojerinde said, “They have been telling lies from the beginning. They injured three of our youths with machetes and broken bottles during the inter-house sports competition. We will take the three victims to Osogbo later so that the police can see them.
“The divisional police officer was here when Ipetumodu youths took over the road to cause trouble again. Our people did not set any market ablaze.”
The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Afolabi Babawale, confirmed the clash between the two communities, but said normalcy had since been restored to the place.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mrs. Folashade Odoro, also said the situation had been brought under control.
She said no policeman was killed in the clash.
Odoro said, “We have brought the situation under control. We are at the market now and traders are there. It is not true that a policeman was killed.”
It will be recalled that the two communities had on January 13, 2015 engaged in a clash which resulted in massive destruction of properties.
Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, had set up a commission of inquiry to unravel the cause of the crisis in order to prevent a re-occurrence.
No comments:
Post a Comment