There is pandemonium in the Owode, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun as two operatives of the Nigerian Army allegedly killed two brothers accused of smuggling foreign rice into the state.
The incident reportedly happened on Sunday afternoon.
According to reports, the older brother was arrested by the soldiers, in an attempt to seize his vehicle that was loaded with bags of foreign parboiled rice.
Narrating what transpired, a source who identified simply as Adekemi said, “In the course of an altercation between the man and the soldiers, some people called his younger brother popularly known as Saheed Elegusi. Saheed rushed to the scene and the two of them were shot dead by the soldiers. We don’t know when soldiers become customs officers.”
The soldiers were said to have reportedly fled the scene for fear of retaliation by the youths of the community who had already taken to the street to show their displeasure.
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The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, while confirming the incident on Monday, disclosed that the angry mob attacked an innocent officer of the Nigerian Air Force, killing him in retaliation.
He stated that the officer, who met his death, was in uniform when he unknowingly ran into the mob.
“Yes, the incident happened yesterday. I think it was caused by an argument between them (the two brothers) and the men of the Nigerian Army. We are still investigating.
“But do you know that the people killed an Air Force officer who was just passing on his own? He was just going on his own, he had nothing to do with the crisis. They just mobbed him and killed him because he was in uniform.
“Anyway, an investigation is ongoing. The Commissioner of Police has directed the Homicide section to take over the matter. The situation has been brought under control. The area is calm now. The DPO of Owode and some other policemen were able to move into the scene quickly. But unfortunately, the Air Force officer was killed.”
As of press time, the youths had set bonfires on the Sango-Idiroko international road, disrupting vehicular movements for hours.