Shop owners at Elejigbo Market, Ejigbo Local Government Area of Osun State have started counting their losses following a fire incident which broke out in the early hours of Saturday.
Some of the shop owners, who spoke with Radio Nigeria, said they were yet to ascertain the cause of the fire incident.
The shop owners claimed that goods worth millions of naira had been destroyed as a result of the fire.
They appealed to the Osun State government to assist them financially.
An eyewitness of the fire incident, Mr Waliu Ridwan said attempts to reach out to the Ejigbo Fire Service station were unsuccessful as they was no response from them.
Normalcy has returned to Ejigbo town in Osun State following unrest that claimed the life of a middle man known as Jamiu Sodiq.
Chairman Ejigbo local government, Mr.Gbolahan Ayegbayo made this known in a telephone interview with Radio Nigeria correspondent.
Radio Nigeria had earlier reported that police had arrested nine people in connection with the killing.
Jamiu Sodiq was said to have lost the battle to death following a fracas that ensued over a stipend dropped by a politician who visited the town.
The Ejigbo local government boss who condemned the incident said security agencies were on top of the situation, maintaining that everything was calm.
Meanwhile, unconfirmed news has been making the rounds that another life had been lost to a reprisal attack, but a police source who craved anonymity debunked the news.
A resident in a separate interview said while friends and associates of the murdered Jamiu Sodiq were making a candle procession, they were engaged by another faction of youths but no life was lost to the incident.
A middle-aged man known as Jamiu Sadiq has reportedly been killed while a number of others sustained various degrees of injuries in a fracas that ensued between two youths groups in Ejigbo Osun state.
The unrest was said to have started on Sunday 19th of June, over disagreement on the sharing formula of an undisclosed amount of money said to be dropped by a politician.
A police source who confirmed the incident to Radio Nigeria said nine people had been arrested concerning the incident and have been transferred to Osogbo.
Meanwhile, some residents of Ejigbo who condemned the antisocial behaviour said the entire ancient town was still in panic over the lingering attack and fear of continued reprisal attacks.
There are indications that a political rally of one of the governorship candidates scheduled to hold tomorrow has been rescheduled following the unrest
It would have been a perfect job had the suspect not attempted to “perfect” the job.
The story started on Saturday when some residents of Ola, in Ejigbo Local Government area of Osun State noticed suspicious movements in a Baptist cemetery in the town.
The suspicion, according to a source, made the people curious about the cemetery and this led to the discovery of a man identified as Wuyi Olatunbosun who was allegedly covering up some graves.
A source who is a local security officer, Chief Segun Odejimi told Radio Nigeria that Wuyi promptly attempted to flee the scene the moment he noticed people’s attention had been drawn to him but his escape was caught off by the pursuing eagle-eyed residents.
“I saw about four guys bringing him, I asked them of his crime, they told me that he was caught digging some graves, so we took him to the police station in Ola but no officer was there”, Chief Odejimi said.
“We later took him to the scene in company of his parents where we all confirmed the graves had been disturbed. His parents pleaded for leniency but the pleas fell on the deaf ears of the people.”
We decided to take him to Ejigbo Divisional Police Headquarters, but his parents struggled with us, it was about getting rowdy because the youths were already warming up to dispensing jungle justice, so we went to Ejigbo Police Station. Upon our return with the DPO and DCO, the suspect had escaped!
“By the time we mobilised to their house, both the parents and the suspect had fled” Chief Odejimii explained.
He explained further that it took the intervention of the Ejigbo Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Mr Taye Awodi to prevent the angry youths from setting the suspects’ house ablaze.
Another source who did not want his name mentioned, said Wuyi who is a bricklayer in his midthirties, had exhumed about five gravesites and harvested some body parts overnight but luck ran out on him when he came back in daylight to tidy up the scene.
He explained that the bodies exhumed were remains of known people in the town.
In an informal chat, a police source hinted that the police was aware of the crime and had put mechanisms in place to arrest the suspect.
Wife of the Osun state governor, Kafayat Oyetola has urged the people of Ejigbo to remain peaceful and united.
She stated this when she visited Ejigbo local government to give welfare packages to the less privileged including widows and children.
Alhaja Oyetola said the choice of empowering the less privileged in Ejigbo was borne out of the fact that the people were always committed to the right course.
Earlier, Alhaja Oyetola had visited the palace of Ogiyan of Ejigbo,Oba Omowonuola Oyeyode Oyesosin.
In his response,the royal father lauded present administration is osun state for being on top of its game.
Welcoming the wife of Osun state governor to Ejigbo, caretaker chairman Ejigbo local government, Gbolahan Ayegbayo appreciated the gesture of the first lady.
Ilawo grammar school has won Ejigbo south local government inter- secondary schools football competition.
Ilawo grammar school defeated Ajoda Grammar school through penalty shootout after the final game ended in a barren draw.
Speaking on the essence of sporting activities, Caretaker Chairman,Ejigbo south local government, Alhaji Bashiru Akintegbe said it was a uniting tool among people.
On his part, a sports enthusiast ,Aliu Aboderin who said that football competition had brought secondary schools Students from different towns together implored well to do Nigerians to always support youth friendly ideas.
He added that sports remained a sector that required more attention.
Caretaker Chairman Ejigbo Local government, Gbolahan Ayegbayo wants the federal government to establish more local government areas to bring the government closer to the people.
He made the call while featuring on Ojukoju, a Radio Nigeria Ogo-Ilu, weekly News and Current Affairs Program.
Mr. Ayegbayo noted that the existing seven hundred and seventy-four local governments established through 1976 local government reform were no longer enough to attend to the needs of the grassroots.
“Communities have expanded, the world has expanded, those places that were bushes in those days have become developed. So there is the need for the lawmakers to look at a way of creating more local government areas”
He said the creation of Local Council Development Areas LCDAs was a pointer to the fact that the government needed to get closer to the people and called on the national assembly to make a law to legalize more Local government areas
While speaking on challenges of Local government administration, Ayegbayo advocated total autonomy for local government to make them attend to problems at the grassroots.
The local government caretaker chairman also threw his weight behind the creation of southwest security network, code-named Amotekun saying such would complement other security outfits to combat crimes
On some deplorable roads in Ejigbo local government area, Ayegbayo gave assurance that the government would take action as soon as the rainy season was over.
While commending Radio Nigeria for being up and doing in the broadcast industry,he promised to partner the media outfit on developmental issues to move the nation forward.
The All Progressives congress APC Party secretariat in Oke mission area of Ejigbo local government has been sealed.
A joint security force was seen in the early hours of today sealing off the party secretariat.
It would be recalled that inauguration of the party’s local government executives scheduled to hold at the secretariat went awry yesterday as factions clashed , leaving some members injured .
The clash ensued when a faction allegedly insisted that the venue would not be used for the swearing in.
The exercise was however shifted to the premises of Ejigbo local government.
Radio Nigeria observed that the party also held parallel ward meetings yesterday with each claiming legitimacy.
Meanwhile, armed security personnel are on ground to maintain law and order around the sealed facility.
Effort to get the reaction of the Police Public Relations Officer,Osun state, Yemisi Opalola on the development of telephone was not successful .
The governor of Osun State, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola has inaugurated 360 newly-recruited officers into the State Security Network Agency, codenamed ”Amotekun Corps”.
This follows the completion of the 23-day training programme for the personnel at Ejigbo, in Ejigbo Local Government Area as part of efforts to prepare them for the task ahead.
Correspondent, Adenitan Akinola was at the event that held at the Wole Soyinka Government High School, Ejigbo, Osun State and brings details.
The newly sworn in Caretaker Chairman, Ejigbo Local Government Council Gbolahan Ayegbayo has assured people of his jurisdiction an all inclusive and citizen friendly style of leadership.
He stated this while speaking with Radio Nigeria on his plan for the people of Ejigbo.
Mr. Ayegbayo promised to prioritize welfare of the people, be up and doing in the area of infrastructural development and make sure that adequate security was guaranteed in the area.
“Since we have been commissioned to take over the mantle of leadership, knowing fully well that our governor has been performing wonders in the state,we shall build on the legacy.welfare of our people is paramount ,provision of infrastructural amenities is essential and we will do all to ensure adequate security” Ayegbayo said.
Mr.Ayegbayo also called on people of the area to cooperate with the government to uplift the region.
On his part, the Vice Chairman, Mr. Tajudeen Oladipupo explained that the new administration was determined to uplift Ejigbo Local Government and promised to work with all citizens.
Habitants of Oke-Padi, Ola road, Ejigbo in Osun State have made a ‘Save Our Soul’ cry to the State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola over their community which has been badly affected by heavy rain.
The habitants, in a message to the Governor, said if urgent intervention was not made, their community would soon be swept away by flood.
They appealed to Governor Oyetola to come to their rescue as they were no longer safe, while also lamenting that flooding had paralysed all activities in the community.
