Three persons were said to have sustained gunshot wounds when some hoodlums invaded the Baba Ode community, off the Idiroko Expressway, in the Ota area of Ogun State on Saturday.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, who disclosed this in an interview with PUNCH Metro on Sunday, said 24-year-old Dauda Alumurufu was arrested in connection with the incident.
She said the case would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
“We are aware of the incident, and we are on top of all land-grabbing matters in the area. It was a case of attempted murder. Three people were allegedly shot. We have arrested one person, 24-year-old Dauda Alumurufu, concerning the incident.
“There is an ongoing interrogation and investigation into the incident. We will transfer the case to the SCID for further investigation,” Odutola told PUNCH Metro on Sunday.
Recall that suspected rival land grabbers engaged one another in a gun duel after armed men invaded the area and started shooting indiscriminately in February 2023.
The Saturday incident was a continuation of the unrest over land matters in the community.
PUNCH Metro gathered that residents fled and businesses grounded on Saturday when some hoodlums invaded the area again over a land dispute.
A source in the community told PUNCH Metro that three persons, including Emmanuel Oyeniyi, Olayemi Nureni and Bamidele Abiodun, sustained varying degrees of gunshot wounds in the incident that occurred in the Ipetu Baba Ode area of the state.
The resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said, “There were shots last night (Saturday) when the land grabbers invaded the community. Several shops were hastily shut down because of the attack.
“Residents who were outside the community as of that time were told to stay wherever they were for fear of attack. This has become the norm in the area. We have not had a month that land grabbers did not terrorise us in the community.
“Since the beginning of this year, we have lost count of such invasions. They attack and escape from the town unhindered. We have reported the case to the police many times. The people in the community are no longer safe. We beg the police to help us on this matter.”
