Vigilante Machetes Two Osun Poly Students On First Night-Duty

A newly employed vigilante, Mr. Aderogba Adeola, popularly known as Baba Dara has allegedly matcheted two students of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, in front of their hostel; Don hostel on his first night-duty at the Oke Eleye area of Iree, Osun State.

According to a student in the area, who preferred to be anonymous, the incident happened on August 11, after the leaders of the community agreed to employed a vigilante.

The student noted that “Oke Eleye has been a hub of burglary and other vicious activities, I think that was why the landlords, mostly indigenes of the community thought of employing vigilantes, to protect lives and property in the area.

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“An announcement was made a few days ago, about the employment of a vigilante, with a warning that residents of the area should not leave their generators on beyond 11:00pm, and that nobody should be seen outside when it is past 11:00pm.”

“Yesterday, we heard loud noises and that brought everyone outside from their hostels, only to find out that the new vigilante had matcheted two students and stabbed one, for staying late outside, at around 11:30pm. The students have been taken to hospital and they are recovering,” he added.

However, the vigilante who allegedly matcheted students of the institution, Baba Dara, during an interview with newsmen disclosed that himself and his colleagues were not employed by the community, but volunteered to watch the area, because of the incessant cases of stealing, burglary and other vicious activities in the area.”

Baba Dada stated that the community leaders had informed the police about the security challenges in the community, and that the police had approved that they employed vigilantes.

He noted that “I was not employed as a vigilante, I only volunteered to serve the community. On Sunday, while parading around 1:00 am, we met a young man in front of the Don hostel, and we instructed him to move inside, but he started to insult me and the other vigilante, Seyi. This led to a heated argument. He attacked us, called out some guys from the hostel and broke my head with a bottle.

“I did not matchete anyone, it was one of the students who wanted to hit me with my matchete that hit his fellow student.”

Efforts to reach the Divisional Police Officer in Iree for comments on the development proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.