Unless security agencies are more proactive and dedicated to their duties, lives of residents of Awe town in Afijio local government area of Oyo State are in grave danger, following unabated onslaught by criminals.
These criminals, armed with dangerous weapons such as guns, cutlasses, knives, big sticks and broken bottles, have continued to raid houses of residents, dispossessing them of their belongings.
Vehicular movement to and from the town at night is like embarking on a valley of death.
Scores of motorists and motorcyclists were reported to have fallen to robbers’ bullets, especially along the community junction/Technical college road.
The robbers said to be between the age of 18 and 26 years, including females, were reported to have recently snatched a commercial motorcycle around 8:30pm and shot the owner.
The incident, according to a reliable witness, occurred when a lady stopped a commercial motorcycle at Owode, the major business district of Oyo metropolis and told the operator that she was going to Awe community.
After about a kilometer ride into the community, the lady was said to have picked the mobile and called her mother.
Shortly thereafter, some hefty men were said to have appeared from nearby bush, armed with guns and cutlasses.
The commercial motorcycle operator was shot and he was left reeling with pains in a pool of his blood, while the daredevil criminals, including the lady, bolted away with the new motorcycle.
“The gunshot boom attracted residents who trembled with fear.
One of the passers-by took the victim to the
community police post”
At the police post, none of the officers was willing to comment, but it was reliably gathered that the victim was immediately taken to a private hospital.
As at the time of filing this report, the victim, who was said to have opted out of school, Federal College of Education [Special], Oyo, and procured a motorcycle for commercial purpose in order to assist his sister, was said to be responding to treatment.
In a related development, a female deaf student of the state-owned Technical College in the community was reported to have almost lost her left wrist to criminals who attacked her with a cutlass while returning to school after the holiday.