….. Four arrested As Two men Injured
Daud Olatunji
Tension reportedly gripped Papalanto in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State on Wednesday after a suspected dispute involving Hausa and Yoruba residents escalated into violence, leaving two men injured and four others arrested.
The incident occurred at about 10:20am and was allegedly triggered by a disagreement between a suspected cannabis seller, identified as “Mandy”, and a buyer, Saifullahi Rufa’i.
According to information obtained by PLATFORMTIMES, the disagreement reportedly escalated after Mandy and his associates accused Rufa’i of exposing their alleged illicit drug activities because he was speaking Hausa on the telephone while purchasing drugs.
Rufa’i and another man, Shu’aibu Isiyaka, were allegedly attacked with cutlasses and stones during the confrontation.
The attackers were also said to have fired shots into the air before fleeing the area, heightening tension among residents.
The Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and Amotekun Corps were subsequently deployed to the area to restore order.
The two injured men were taken to Ise-Oluwa Hospital, where they were receiving treatment as of Wednesday evening.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that four persons have reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident, although their identities were not immediately available.
Confirming the development, the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Police Command, ASP Oluborode Opeyemi, said the command was aware of the disagreement but stressed that investigations were ongoing.
“Yes, the command is aware that there was in fact a disagreement between some individuals.
“Operatives are currently investigating to ascertain the facts in issue and everyone involved.
“The situation is under firm control and calm has been restored to the area,” he said.
The police spokesman did not characterise the incident as an ethnic conflict, and it remained unclear as of press time whether ethnicity was the primary cause of the confrontation or merely a factor in the dispute.
The development has, however, raised concerns among residents over the potential for disputes involving alleged illicit drug activities to assume ethnic dimensions and threaten the peace of the community.
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