Kwara Monarch Seeks Gov. Abdulrazaq Assistance Over Hoodlums Attack

Kwara state monarch, Onigbede of Igbede, Oke-Ero local government area of the state, Oba Johnson Aina has sent a save-our-soul appeal (SOS) to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq over the property damaged by hoodlums who attacked the community during the celebration of Egungun festival in Odo-Owa, a neighbouring community of Igede.
The monarch said two people, Sunday Olukosi and a student, Emmanuel Akinola were shot dead by the hoodlums during the bloody fracas.

He added that property including three motorcycles and some buildings were burnt in Igbede and Kajola communities during the two weeks festival held between March 18 and April 1st, 2019.

In a letter addressed Mallam Abdulrazaq dated November 13, 2019, Oba urged the government to assist his community by giving them compensation for the loss of lives and vandalization and looting of their property estimated at about N3.6 million.

The letter was entitled “losses from Egungun festival attacks: An appeal for government intervention.”

The letter reads” “Your Excellency would no doubt recall our call for a declaration of a state of emergency in Oke-Ero via our letter of 16th September, 2019.

“This call was sequel to recurrent crisis in the area emanating from various attacks on the neighboring communities of the area by Olota of Odo-Owa terrorist squad.

“Going by paragraphs viii, ix on the Police interim report which we have obtained, it is evident that Igbede community has suffered irredeemable and incalculable damages with the death of our illustrious son, vandalization and looting of our properties.

“It is not in our mind to quantify the death of our illustrious Emmanuel, but we pray to God to impress it on his Excellency’s mind to compassionately consider the plight of Chief Jacob Akinola (father of slain Emmanuel) with a view to paying some amount of money as a relief for his calamitous loss.

“We will patiently wait on the government’s response and action to allow us bury the corpse of the slain body.”

The monarch who said that the community had followed police investigation on the crises and was satisfied with it, however said that he wants to bury Emmanuel Akinola whose corpse was being kept in the mortuary of the state general hospital, Omu-Aran.