The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ogun communities

  • Ogun communities protest 10-year darkness

    Ogun communities protest 10-year darkness

    •Threaten to block Lagos/Ibadan Road

    Residents of Ibafo, Mowe, Magboro and scores of other communities along the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway yesterday threatened to occupy the highway, if their 10 years of darkness is not resolved.

    The communities in Obafemi Local Government Area of Ogun State accused the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) of complicity and extortion, which has led to frustration and total collapse of socio-economic activities.

    The Chairman of the Community Development Council (CDC), Funso Ayeni, told reporters that in the last 10 years, the residents have spent over N400million to provide poles, cables, transformers and contractors’ fee but they have remained in darkness.

    He said the communities, comprising 187 Community Development Councils (CDC) and over 500 Community Development Associations (CDA), have also made representations to successive state and federal governments.

    Ayeni said the electricity company had last year, promised to give them electricity by January 8.

    According to him, they have also been left to provide roads, drainages, clinics, schools, alternative power source, and community police posts without help from the three tiers of governments.

    Ayeni said the residents, under the auspices of the CDCs and CDAs, have resolved to give the government a “week ultimatum to address their plight or risk having traffic jam on the ever busy Lagos – Ibadan Expressway”.

    “Are we not Nigerians? We cannot continue like this again. As you can see our banner-Enough is Enough. We are suffering here. Over 10 years now, we have been in darkness. We have spent about N400million through our own efforts, yet we remain in darkness,” the CDC Chairman said.

    Magboro Development Association Chairman Michael Ajala decried the noise and air pollution from generating power sets.

  • Ogun: Two dead, others injured in rival cult clashes

    Ogun: Two dead, others injured in rival cult clashes

    Two persons were feared killed and many others injured on Monday in a coordinated attack and counter – attack between rival cult groups in four communities – Agodo, Elega, Iberekodo and Adatan, in Abeokuta North Local Government Council of Ogun state.

    For over two hours, pandemonium and apprehension enveloped the affected communities with some of the  residents who had come out very early for the Monday chores dashed back into their homes for safety as the suspected rival cultists used cutlasses, guns and other weapons on each other.

    At Ago – Odo area, of the theatres of the violent confrotations, 32 years old Babatunde Alamutu lay dead in a pool of his blood while another person was said to been caught down at Elega community.

    Senor Police officers and operatives of the Police special units including men of the Department of State Security (DSS), men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) and scores of Police officers who were led to the troubled communities by the Abeokuta Area Commander, Presley Dodeh and the Divisional Police Officer of Adatan, Ogunjobi Tolani, had a hectic time restoring normalcy.

    The security operatives, who stormed areas in fourteen Hilux Vans beside an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), later raided a house believed to belong to one of the leaders of a cult group and suspected member of Oodua People’s Congress.

    At least three buildings in Sodolamu’s compound were severely vandalised while a dozen vehicles were also damaged during the violence.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, told The Nation that one person, Babatunde Alamutu, was killed in the attack and that his remains have since been evacuated by Police to a morgue in Abeokuta, the state capital, while 33 suspected cultists were also arrested in connection with the violence.

    Adejobi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) added that 84 suspected cultists were arrested inside a forest in Igbesa Sunday on the verge of carrying out cult related rites while seven others were nabbed in Ilaro town.

    According to him, the suspects who have been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ogun state Police Command would be screened to ascertain the particular cult groups each of them subscribed to.