- The gunmen numbering over 100 reportedly stormed the community in the early hours of Saturday leaving in their wake nothing but death and destruction.
A dark cloud of despair and gloom fell over a riverine community in Egan Oriomi Otto Awori Local Council Development Area of Ojo in Lagos State following a deadly invasion of the enclave by rampaging gunmen.
The gunmen numbering over 100 reportedly stormed the community in the early hours of Saturday leaving in their wake nothing but death and destruction.
At least 15 houses were razed with property worth millions destroyed by the assailants while a 15-month-old baby, who was sleeping, was burnt beyond recognition.
Ten persons were shot by the gunmen, while others, among whom is a 90-year-old man sustained deep matchet cuts in parts of their bodies.
Narrating his ordeal, the father of the burnt baby said: “My baby’s name is Emmanuel. I went out yesterday (Friday) for our daily bread, leaving my wife with my two children.
“By 9.30 p.m., she called me on the phone to inform me that some cultists were shooting. I told her to go inside with the children.
“At about 1 a.m., she called again to inform me that the cultists had set our building on fire. She added that she ran out without carrying our baby who was sleeping.
“My father-in-law, who went inside to rescue the baby, was attacked with a cutlass. He is still in the hospital.
“When I came back this morning (Saturday), I met my baby burnt to death. He was our second child. The first one managed to escape.”
Vanguard reports that the deadly attack was not unconnected to the tussle for the community’s traditional stool which the locals said some powerful persons in the State handed over to an outsider.
They alleged that, against the norms and traditions of the community and in brazen violation of court orders, a stranger was wrongfully enthroned as the traditional ruler. They said he should be from a family they described as “indigene of the community”.
It’s gathered that there had been a perennial feud between two families in the community over who rules.
One of the indigenes, Lawal Adesegun, who claimed to be a crown prince of the community, said: “The cause of this fight is ownership dispute.
“These people (invaders) are not indigenes of this community. We went to the tribunal set up by the Lagos State Government to fight for who would be the oba of this community and we won.
“There are documents from the tribunal, including judgments and clearance from the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Attorney General of the State. These confirm us as the Oba of Egan, Ori Omi Atto Awori of Ojo Local Government.
“However, some politicians of the leading political party, the Otto Awori Local Government wrongfully installed our opponent as our king. They did it in a hotel, not in the community.
“The politicians brought the man that was wrongfully installed to the community on Thursday, to force him on us. But the Police restrained them because they knew a fight would break out.
“This isn’t the first time they would be attacking us. A similar incident occurred on June 15, 2018. Some of our people were also killed”