Suspected hoodlums at the Ojaba and Bere areas of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital at the weekend engaged the government officials in a violent clash over demolition of structures owned by Iba-Oluyole family.
Daily Sun gathered that officials of the state Ministry of Environment escorted by men of the state security outfit, ‘Operation Burst’, had stormed the area with bulldozer and without any quit notice to demolish the structures allegedly owned by Iba-Oluyole family.
Angered by the development, hoodlums in the areas mobilised themselves to resist the demolition exercise.
It was gathered that the hoodlums also took advantage of the confusion to terrorise residents, market men and women in the area, while carting away foods, money and other valuables.
It took the intervention of elders of Iba-Oluyole family to put the situation under control.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, described the action as a deliberate politicisation of government’s genuine and noble intention to provide markets and stalls for the teeming traders in the state, alleging that people behind the drama were Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwarts bent on painting government in bad light.
“For the benefit of the doubt, even though government had expressed readiness to acquire the said land since 1971 and the present government has shown the intention of constructing hundreds of markets for traders on that axis on the said land, government will continue to persuade the owners to see this as a desire to do good for the greatest number of its citizens.
“Since the markets are meant for the people of the state and not for any individual, government can only plead with politicians seeking political advantage from the construction of the market to let us put the interest of the people first and political party last,” he said.
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