- Hoodlums Abduct, Rob, Extort Residents Freely
- Husband Killed Over Refusal Of Wife To Give Out Money
There is a growing security threat to the safety of lives and property of the residents of Osogbo, Osun State capital, findings by OSUN DEFENDER have revealed.
Some hoodlums have been terrorising the residents by abducting and robbing them of their belongings.
OSUN DEFENDER noted that the extortionate practices by the louts have continued unabated, with residents of the state capital forced to part with their monies.
There are also reports of abduction by the hoodlums within the Osogbo metropolis.
The louts operate with motorcycles and usually flag down or waylay their targeted victims at every available opportunity.
Findings revealed that the thugs who are always armed with guns, cutlasses, dagger and other weapons, usually position themselves at strategic areas to lay ambush for their victims.
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According to reports, the hoodlums do not have specific targets, but youths and suspected internet fraudsters known as Yahoo-Yahoo guys are their regular victims.
Innocent citizens with decent appearance are also soft targets.
It was gathered that the hoodlums, sometimes, abduct their victims who refused to give them money at the spot they were accosted, while victims who do not have cash on them were taken to Point of Sales operators to withdraw or transfer.
Areas that are said to be notorious for the crime are Olaiya, Odi-Olowo, Alekuwodo, Ogo-Oluwa, Isale Osun, Oja Oba, Ilesa Ggarage, among others.
The criminal activities have been generating reactions from netizens in the state, calling the attention of the state government and the police to the broad daylight crime being perpetrated by the hoodlums.
In a tweet by an X user operating ‘Your Osogbo Barber’ account, the resident disclosed that cases of abduction, extortion and harassment by the thugs were becoming rampant in the state capital.
He tweeted: “Dear Osogbo residents, we have a ticking bomb in our hands, and I will like us to call the attention of Governor Ademola Adeleke, Hon. Wale Egbedun (the Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly) and the Police Public Relations Officers to it.
“Thugs now go around the state capital doing what I can call a mini kidnapping. They profile you, and once they see you look good, you smell nice, and you dress well, they will chase you down with bike, pick you up while showing you guns and short knives, all these in the open.
“They pick you after several threats and take you to an isolated place, sometimes bush, they’ll beat you and rip you of your money.
“They force you to give them your password while threatening to kill, they take your phone to different POS shops to do withdrawal and sometimes return your phone back to you.
“They go around using the name of dead thugs so that they can be untraceable.
“A staff was hijacked at captain cook about four weeks ago, it happened around 4pm, a brother was kidnapped as well yesterday night around 8pm at olaiya while he was on bike, they released him at 11:30 after taking 360k from his account.
“If we are not careful as a state, this issue I just raised will become a full blown one and it will surely go round because on days these people don’t meet money on you, they’ll graduate to keeping you till a ransom is paid, Osogbo is too young for such mess.
“Dear Osun state government and police, please see to this, the economy is tough already for anyone to still be losing thousands of money to thugs and kidnappers.”
Corroborating what the X user stated, another resident of the state capital with the account ‘Star10’ (@Biolastar11) claimed that he and his people have fallen victims of the criminal activities of the hoodlums.
In a reply to ‘Osogbo Barber’s tweet, the person stated: “This is exactly what they did to us. They usually operate around that Olaiya, Oja-Oba, Isale Osun side.”
Commenting on the matter on a WhatsApp group, another resident of Osogbo said: “My people it is real. It happened to one of the elders in my church last Friday just in front of a popular hotel at Ogo-Oluwa area.
“They just packed beside him where he was waiting for public transport around 9am not 9pm, asking him to cooperate and showing him AK-47.
“He just related his harrow experience to us in the church today and nobody new about his whereabouts since that Friday until we got to church this morning.
“My people please don’t stand in the public alone nowadays. God’s protection will be enough for us.”
Narrating his own experience, the Publicity and Organising Secretary of Omoluabi Progressives, Comrade Abosede Oluwaseun, said he nearly fell victim of the thugs’ operations recently.
Oluwaseun said: Immediately I dropped from my car at the railway track at Abija area, behind First Bank Fakunle branch, two guys accosted me and started harassing me. I was resisting their attempt to rob me, some members of their gang told them to leave me; he said I am a known face. That was why they left me alone.”
OSUN DEFENDER learnt that a husband was killed by the hoodlums when he intervened in an attempt to extort his wife who has a shop Behind Prime Gold Hotel, Cele Awosuru, area of Osogbo, in March this year.
A source in the area told this medium that “Around 8pm of that day, two of the hoodlums dropped from the bike and walked straight into the shop of the woman. They met her husband outside, but they didn’t do anything to him, they just went inside the shop to ask for money from his wife.
“The wife offered them what he had, but the thugs complained that it was small, they demanded for money. The husband entered the shop on hearing that his wife was begging the thugs. He questioned why the hoodlums would be demanding for more money when they didn’t work for them. His statement infuriated the thugs and they shot him immediate, and they fled.”
When contacted, the Commandant of Amotekun Corps in Osun State, Brig Gen. Bashir Adewinbi, said the agency was not aware of such criminal activities.
Adewinbi, in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday said: “We are not aware of that; if at all that is happening, nobody has come to report to Amotekun office. We will look into it and set up our intelligent network to see how we can put a stop to it.
“The problem is that there are too many thugs in Osogbo now. But we will ensure that there is safety for lives and property of the people of the state.”
All effort to get the comment of the police on the matter proofed abortive as the Police Public Relations Officer, Osun Command, Mrs. Yemisi Opalola, was not available for reactions.
Ismaeel Uthman is an Editor, Media Consultant with over 14 years experience in print journalism.
A consummate writer and reporter, Uthman has received accolades for his works, especially one that appeals for good governance and community development. He is a recipient of many laurels, including the Best Investigative Reporter (Print) Award of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Osun State Council, in 2020.
