Daud Olatunji
A fresh layer of tension has emerged in Elere village, Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, following an attack on the residence of the village head, the Baale, Chief Adubi, by unknown assailants who reportedly opened fire and set the building ablaze.
The attack occurred at night while some of the Baale’s children were asleep in the house, forcing them to flee for their lives as gunshots rang out and the attackers reportedly shouted for someone to be caught.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the Baale was not at home when the assailants stormed the village and attacked the residence.
Two of his sons, Koyuum Adubi and Ebenezer Adubi, who spoke with PLATFORM TIMES, recounted how they escaped the attack after hearing gunshots and shouts from the suspected attackers.
Koyuum said he was sleeping in a room separate from his younger siblings when he was suddenly awakened by a heavy sound.
He said he initially wondered what had happened in the house and whether the noise had come from his siblings’ room.
“After a while, I heard the sound again and realised that all my siblings were also awake. I got up and came out of my room. Then I started hearing someone shouting, ‘That is him! Catch him!’”
Koyuum said the situation became more frightening when he heard gunshots shortly afterwards.
“I stood still for a moment, but the voices continued: ‘Catch him! That is him!’ I picked up a piece of wood and ran through the backyard. I climbed over the fence, and my siblings did the same,” he said.
According to him, they immediately sought help from residents in the area.
“As soon as we got to the other side, we called on people in the area for help. We wanted them to come and save us because we did not know where the gunshots were coming from.”
Koyuum said that by the time they returned towards the house, they discovered that the building had already been set ablaze.
His brother, Ebenezer, said he and another sibling, Sodiq, were sleeping in the same room when the incident occurred.
He said Sodiq woke him after hearing the commotion, shortly before they heard the attackers shouting.
“We immediately ran for our lives. We jumped over the fence and called on people in the area, telling them to come and save us because we did not know where the gunshots were coming from,” Ebenezer said.
He added that the attackers broke the windows of the house during the incident.
“But before we could get back to the house, we saw that it had already caught fire,” he said.
House badly damaged
An assessment of a video obtained by PLATFORM TIMES showed the bungalow badly damaged by the fire, with almost all the occupants’ belongings and personal effects reportedly destroyed.
The video also showed the extent of the damage inside the building, as several household items were affected by the fire.
Ebenezer said the family later noticed traces believed to have been left behind by the attackers but could not pursue them.
“We found traces of the people who had done it, but because of the fire and our immediate concern to put it out, we could not run after them,” he said.
Land dispute suspected
Meanwhile, PLATFORM TIMES gathered from multiple sources that the attack might not be unconnected with controversies surrounding chieftaincy and land matters in the area.
The development reportedly followed longstanding disagreements over land ownership and the installation of traditional titles in the community.
The villagers had previously protested at the palace of the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, raising allegations concerning land grabbing and what they described as the illegal installation of a chief in the area.
The protesters were said to have sought the intervention of the traditional institution over the disputes, which have reportedly generated tension in the community.
However, it remained unclear whether the latest attack was directly connected to the land and chieftaincy disputes.
The identity of the attackers, their motive and the circumstances surrounding the reported arson had yet to be officially established as of the time of filing this report.
Residents are expected to seek the intervention of security agencies to investigate the attack, identify those responsible and prevent further escalation of the dispute.
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