Adebisi Onanuga
Hoodlums on Wednesday night attacked the Federal Government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) disbursement team at Ajase-Ipo in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the team was earlier at the council secretariat in Omu-Aran where no fewer than 511 beneficiaries received N20, 000 each across the three wards in the community.
The team later left Omu-Aran to pay the beneficiaries in the eight other wards of the council before it was attacked at Ajase-Ipo at about 8pm.
No fewer than 1, 568 beneficiaries were expected to benefit from the CCT across the 11 wards of Irepodun Local Government.
NAN gathered that it took the intervention of personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) attached to the team, who fired into the air to scare away the thugs.
The exercise was said to have ended abruptly, as many ran for safety.
NAN also learnt that no member of the team was hurt during the attack, although some beneficiaries were said to have lost their stipend to the hoodlums.
An eyewitness told NAN that the disbursement had begun smoothly at Ajase-Ipo before the hoodlums started throwing stones at the team some 10 minutes into the exercise.
The eyewitness, also a beneficiary and who preferred anonymity, said he was about leaving the venue after collecting his stipend when the hoodlums launched the attack.
“I had just collected my money when these hoodlums stormed the venue and started throwing stones.
“Everyone panicked and started running in different directions.
“But the security men on ground immediately responded and fired into the air as they were joined by more policemen in the process,” he added.
Mrs. Tawakalitu Sadiq, the Cash Transfer Officer in the Kwara Ministry of Women Affairs, who led the CCT team, told NAN that it was by divine intervention that members of the team escaped the attack.
“Ajase-Ipo happened to be the last ward for the exercise in Irepodun Local Government and since there was no problem in other wards, I had to leave the team at Ajase-Ipo for Ilorin.
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“It was the council that alerted me that hoodlums had attacked our people and I had to rush back.
“We thank God our men escaped unhurt as policemen were immediately mobilised to the scene to complement the security men on ground,” she said.
She promised that the disbursement would resume as soon as adequate security was provided.
“We are already in touch with the traditional ruler of Ajase-Ipo, Oba Sikiru Sanni, and he promised to liaise with the police and other security agencies to enable the exercise to resume,” she said.
Police spokesman Ajayi Okasanmi, when contacted, said he was yet to be briefed.
But NSCDC spokesman Ayeni Olasunkanmi confirmed the incident to NAN, saying investigation was ongoing.
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