THE 2013 masquerade festival began on a sour note in Ibadan,
Oyo State, as residents of Omiyale and Oja’ba streets watched helplessly
as followers of one of the city’s masquerades, Ire Kosodo, destroyed 14
cars and made away with some valuables in some of the shops attacked.
The incident, Nigerian Tribune learnt, occurred around 6.00 p.m on Monday, when some officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) came to arrest some drug suspects around Omiyale Street.
The arrest, sources informed the Nigerian Tribune, was resisted by some residents of the area, who chased away the NDLEA officials in the process.
The masquerade and his supporters, coming from Oja’ba to Idi-Arere junction, clashed with the crowd chasing the NDLEA officials at the junction of the street.
The supporters of Ire-Kosodo, according to information gathered, believed that the crowd were actually after them, a development that made them retaliate and, in the process, six cars, two trucks, and six buses were destroyed, while two shops on the street, a hairdressing salon and a buka, were also attacked.
When the Nigeria Tribune visited the scene, victims were seeing counting their losses, while waiting for security agencies to take stock.
The food vendor, who was bashed with hot pepper, sustained burnt injury.
Meanwhile, the state police command has arrested one Monsuru Abiola of Ayeye area of Ibadan with a dane gun, which he reportedly used during the procession of the masquerade on Sunday.
The Egungun festival, which is celebrated yearly in Ibadan, commenced on Sunday.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the arrested suspect was apprehended by one of the coordinators of the masquerade festival when he started shooting during the procession.
Instead of showing remorse, Abiola, supported by friends, allegedly descended on the coordinator and beat him, dispossessing him of his Blackberry valued at N75,000; Nokia phone valued at N19,000, SAGEM phone valued at N8,000 and N25,000 cash.
Confirming the arrrest, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Ilobanafor, said the suspect had been handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, for further investigations.
She added that the charges preferred against him included conduct likely to cause breach of peace, assault and stealing.
The PPRO warned that the police command would deal with violators of the laid-down rules guiding the conduct of egungun followers during the ongoing festival.
She said anyone arrested with offensive weapons would not be spared, as the police would not condone anything that would truncate the peace currently being enjoyed in the state.
The Aare Isese of Oyo State, Olukunmi Egbelade, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, said leaders of egungun worshippers had already liaised with the police in Oyo State to arrest and charge to court anyone found with bottles and cutlasses.
It will be recalled that there was crisis during last year’s egungun festival, resulting in the arrest of some followers who were alleged to have disrupted activities at an Islamic gathering.
The Oloolu, one of the reverred masquerades not expected to be seen by women, was allegedly macheted during the 2012 fracas.
TRIBUNE
The incident, Nigerian Tribune learnt, occurred around 6.00 p.m on Monday, when some officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) came to arrest some drug suspects around Omiyale Street.
The arrest, sources informed the Nigerian Tribune, was resisted by some residents of the area, who chased away the NDLEA officials in the process.
The masquerade and his supporters, coming from Oja’ba to Idi-Arere junction, clashed with the crowd chasing the NDLEA officials at the junction of the street.
The supporters of Ire-Kosodo, according to information gathered, believed that the crowd were actually after them, a development that made them retaliate and, in the process, six cars, two trucks, and six buses were destroyed, while two shops on the street, a hairdressing salon and a buka, were also attacked.
When the Nigeria Tribune visited the scene, victims were seeing counting their losses, while waiting for security agencies to take stock.
The food vendor, who was bashed with hot pepper, sustained burnt injury.
Meanwhile, the state police command has arrested one Monsuru Abiola of Ayeye area of Ibadan with a dane gun, which he reportedly used during the procession of the masquerade on Sunday.
The Egungun festival, which is celebrated yearly in Ibadan, commenced on Sunday.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the arrested suspect was apprehended by one of the coordinators of the masquerade festival when he started shooting during the procession.
Instead of showing remorse, Abiola, supported by friends, allegedly descended on the coordinator and beat him, dispossessing him of his Blackberry valued at N75,000; Nokia phone valued at N19,000, SAGEM phone valued at N8,000 and N25,000 cash.
Confirming the arrrest, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Ilobanafor, said the suspect had been handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, for further investigations.
She added that the charges preferred against him included conduct likely to cause breach of peace, assault and stealing.
The PPRO warned that the police command would deal with violators of the laid-down rules guiding the conduct of egungun followers during the ongoing festival.
She said anyone arrested with offensive weapons would not be spared, as the police would not condone anything that would truncate the peace currently being enjoyed in the state.
The Aare Isese of Oyo State, Olukunmi Egbelade, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, said leaders of egungun worshippers had already liaised with the police in Oyo State to arrest and charge to court anyone found with bottles and cutlasses.
It will be recalled that there was crisis during last year’s egungun festival, resulting in the arrest of some followers who were alleged to have disrupted activities at an Islamic gathering.
The Oloolu, one of the reverred masquerades not expected to be seen by women, was allegedly macheted during the 2012 fracas.
TRIBUNE
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