- Villagers boycott schools over transfer of teachers
No fewer than four persons, while several others sustained gunshot injuries from dare-devil armed robbers in Oyo town.
The robbers who carried out their deadly operations at daylight attacked residents of Pastor School, Pakoyi, Ile lemomu, Iseke, Akeetan, Boroboro, Awumoro, Isokun, and Iasle-Oyo areas.
The robbers said to be mainly youths dispossessed residents of their belongings, including cash, after which they would be severely beaten and inflicted with machetes or guns.
The situation led to an emergency meeting of all sons and daughters in the ancient towns and suburbs under the umbrella of Oyo Metropolitan Development Association, held at the Atiba hall in Oyo town.
Addressing thousands of residents and indigenes trembled with fear, chairman of the association, arch-bishop Ayo Ladigbolu, called on the Federal and State Governments to, as a matter of utmost concern, save the souls of Oyo people from attacks by armed robbers.
Ladigbolu said. ‘’lives and properties in the metropolis are no longer safe. Men of the underworld have taken over the metropolis, thus making the people to be at their mercy. We are crying unto concerned
authorities to do all that is necessary to save innocent lives from robbers’ mindless attacks.’’
A visit to some private hospitals in the ancient town revealed injured residents being attended to by medical doctors and nurses.
When contacted, Officer-in-charge of Special Anti-Robbery Squad [FSARS] for Oyo/Ogbomoso and Oke-ogun, Mr. A. Monifere, said in an interview with our correspondent that though no arrests have been
made, the squad has commenced 24-hour motorised patrol and surveillance of the metropolis.
Monifere stated that lack of co-operation and unwillingness by the people to volunteer information for effective detection of crimes and arrests of criminals does not augur well for the squad operations.
Meanwhile, for three weeks running, primary schools in seven villages in the Oyo-East local government have remained under lock and key, following their boycott by the villagers.
The villages which include, Oke-Apo, Kiyeseni, Ajagba, Apara, Imeleke, Baseke, and Ilu-Aje are Oyo homesteads and among the fifteen communities that are challenging the Oyo State Government at an Abuja Federal High Court for ceding their territories to another council, the Afijio local government.
There were four local governments in the metropolis [Afijio, Atiba, Oyo- East and Oyo- West] before the creation of four additional councils’ development areas.
Of all the new councils’ development areas created that of the Oyo South- East under which the fifteen villages fall is the most contentious.
Before now, postings and transfers of primary school teachers were not based on indigenization policy, as pupils were taught in schools in conducive and harmonious atmospheres.But shortly after the creation of new council development area,
But shortly after the creation of new council development area, primary school teachers who are indigenes of Oyo were transferred from the villages to Oyo town, while their counterparts who are indigenes of Afijio were retained.
Disturbed about the development, the villagers who wondered why such discriminate decision could have been taken, retaliated by preventing their wards from going to schools.
This didn’t go down well with some irate youths from the neighbouring in another local government, who stormed the villages and warned the villagers to rescind their decision or face the consequence.
Perturbed by such action, the villagers after an emergency meeting resolved not to rescind their decision but warned that any further invasion of their villages by any group would be vehemently resisted.
It was learnt that the timely intervention of men of the Directorate of state security service [DSS] and other security agencies averted bloodshed.
Speaking in an interview, head of Kiyeseni village and spokesman for the other village heads, chief Lateef Busari, said, ‘in this circumstance, how do we guarantee the safety of our children/why the discriminatory policy. We are Oyo enclaves and had been living harmoniously without rancour’ While commending security agencies for their sense of devotion to duty, chief Busari warned against any act by any group that could undermine peace and tranquillity in the state’.
Also commenting, chairman, Oyo Metropolitan Development Association, archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, described the situation as ‘disheartening, worrisome and a dangerous precedent’.
Efforts to speak with secretaries of both the Afijio and Oyo-East Universal Basic Education Commission [UBEC] were to no avail, as they kept sealed lips over the matter.
As at the time of filing this report, schools were still deserted by pupils, as few teachers who are Afijio indigenes were seen discussing the situation in groups.
