30 Injured In Terror Attack On Ondo Community

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By; ODEYEMI SAMUEL, Akure
It was tension, tears and blood in Ayetoro community, Ilaje LGA of Ondo State on Thursday morning as a gang of armed mercenaries, numbering 15, unleashed terror on the residents, injuring more than 30 people.
No fewer than 30 residents of Ayetoro community in Ilaje Local government area of Ondo state were seriously injured during an armed robbery attack in the early hours of Thursday.
Our Reporter reliably gathered that the bandits, who were mobilized from Lagos State and Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje council of the state, were invited to the community by the embattled king, Micah Ajijo.
According to the source, the mayhem broke out when one Isaac Ikuyelorimi, who lives close to Ajijo’s house, was challenged by a member of the terror gang for playing music in his house.
“The assassins from Lagos and Igbokoda met Isaac to stop the music because he is disturbing them. But Isaac told them that they have no right to stop him because the music was from his house.
“Before we know it, it turned to heated argument and the other thugs in Ajijo’s house rushed out to attack him and everybody in the neighbourhood, stabbing people with bottles, knives and cutlasses.”
The Chairman of Ayetoro Youth Congress, Mr. Iretolu Ajinde, identified one Joseph Oniyesan as the leader of the mercenaries that were invited to the town by the embattled king to ferment trouble and disrupt their annual Founder’s Day Anniversary slated for Sunday 14, 2018.
He narrated that when the Mobile Police force that were stationed there to maintain peace were making efforts to restore peace, one of the thugs disarmed a Police officer and took his gun and shot at the people sporadically.
“It was after the situation had gone out of hand that we called the police station in Igbokoda and Naval base for help. Then, the armed mercenaries had run into Ajijo’s house for cover”
This mayhem was sequel to the prolonged kingship tussle in the theocratic community since 2015 when Ajijo allegedly imposed himself as the Ogeleyinbo immediately after the demise of the last king, Gad Asogbon.
There had been a lot of protests against his ascension to the throne through a foul means by more than 90 per cent of the community, leading to the closure of the only church in the community, the Holy Apostles Church since 2016.
Iretolu noted that the security teams from Igbokoda restored peace to the community and arrested the mercenaries alongside Ajijo to Osogbo, while those who were seriously wounded are currently receing treatment in the area.
But one of the embattled king’s kinsmen, Moboluwaji Ajijo, said it was the community that attacked his brother and supporters during morning devotion in his house.
He accused Prophet Oluwambe Ojagbohunmi, the Alakoso and grandson of the Founder of the community, late King Peter Ojagbohunmi, as the person who incited the people against Ajijo, who was a former ambassador of Africa Development Bank (ADB).
“Prophet Oluwambe who styled himself the Alakoso of Ayetoro led his supporters who came in drove with dangerous weapons through the land and sea and attacked the palace with several worshippers wounding scores and property worth million of naira destroyed.
“The incident happened less than three days Kabiyesi came back from overseas trip in preparation for the town annual Founders’ Day Anniversary which usually takes place in January every year. Whereabout of the king is unknown as at the time of filing in  this report.”
He added that the attack was with the intention “of driving the king, his immediate family, chiefs & supporters out of the town by so doing taking over the total control of the religious town while the mobile detachment posted to the town were looking helplessly.”
He noted that Oluwambe and his band of prophets thwarted all efforts by the state government to restore peace in the community, revealing that the Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi has waded into the crisis.

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