Many people have been injured and millions of naira worth of properties destroyed as heavily-armed hoodlums sack residents of Ajebo community, near Agbowa, in Ikosi Ejirin Local Council Development Area of Lagos State.

The attack, which reportedly started on Monday, continued till Tuesday afternoon before the intervention of the Police Area Command and Agbowa Divisional Police Station.

Scores of residents of the community have abandoned their damaged houses for fear of being attacked by the armed hoodlums, who have reportedly taken over Ajebo in large numbers

Baale – elect of the community, Chief Ogunlaru Jamiu, while speaking on the incident, described it as the greatest horror that he had ever witnessed in life.

The community head also stated that the hoodlums defied the presence of policemen from Agbowa, who were mobilised to the area and attempted to attack police operatives, who were on a rescue mission.

He narrated that “It all started on Monday. I was at work when residents of the community called to inform me that about two hundred armed hoodlums had invaded our community.

He also continued that “They took over the town and started invading homes, molesting and harassing residents with cutlasses, axes and guns.

“My wife called me to say that they had attacked my house and they had looted almost everything in my house. My electronics, electricals, and even building materials that were kept by a woman lawyer, who is erecting a building near us.”

The village head also continued: “An elder brother of mine, Ayodele Momodu, who was unlucky to have been caught in their midst, was seriously injured, before he was rescued by policemen from Agbowa Divisional. Police Station.”

“We were yet to recover from the Monday attack, when again, they came on Tuesday. This time, with more men and arms.

“They came in multiple commercial motorcycles and vehicles, carrying arms and ammunition and threatening to kill anybody who dared to oppose them,” Baale Ogunlaru stated.

He stated that” I had to call the police at Agbowa again to urgently go and rescue my family members and other people from the two.

When the police got to the town, the hoodlums prevented them from taking the rescued people to Agbowa. They blocked the road and threatened to attack them.”

According to the Baale, “The police had to make a detour and go to Ketu Police Station near Itokin to drop the rescued family members.”

The village head noted: “The hoodlums were reportedly brought by one Alatada, who had ignored the invitation of the Area Commander in the area for investigation.”

A police source at Area N Command, Ijede in Ikorodu, confirmed the attack on the community.

The police source, who pleaded anonymity, stated that it was the intervention of the Area Commander that resulted in the safe evacuation of the rescued residents from Ketu to Agbowa.

Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, while speaking on the incident, insisted that the police prevented an attack on the community.

She also added that the police had invited the affected parties with a view to finding a lasting solution to the problem.

S P Adebisi stated that the Commissioner of Police in the State, Olohundare Jimoh already deployed Tactical Teams to ensure peace and orderliness in the town. (Nigerian Tribune)