Posted by 3 feared killed as hoodlums attack Ladoja's house on
The bloodletting which has become the hallmark of the Oyo political crisis continued on Tuesday as hoodlums
They were, however, repelled by security personnel attached to the house with active support of Ladoja's private security. Three persons were feared killed in the shootout that ensued.
One of the private security personnel in the house, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Daily Sun that the hoodlums arrived the area around 1.25a.m and announced their presence with sporadic gunshots.
"They were shooting and shouting that they were not armed robbers and that the neighbours should not panic. They stated that they had come to burn down Ladoja's house and destroy whatever is within the house," the source stated.
Two residents of Ondo Street, where Ladoja's house is located, Messrs Adetayo Adegbenle and Osundolure Olumide, also corroborated the disclosure of the security man, describing the incident as a nasty experience never witnessed in the area.
Adegbenle said the gunshots woke up almost everybody in the street as lasted for about 40 minutes non-stop.
"Definitely, they (hoodlums) had come to attack Ladoja's house. They were the first to start shooting. They came well armed, but they met a stiff resistance. In fact, they met more than they envisaged," he said.
Olumide also disclosed that the kind of ammunition used in the operation was not ‘cork and shoot' guns but sophisticated ones that ensure sporadic shooting.
The two residents, however, could not confirm the number of casualties, saying there was blackout in the area, which made it difficult for neighbours to ascertain the number of persons that came for the attack or the casualty figure.
Nonetheless, splatters of blood dotted the stretch of Ondo Street from the building beside Ladoja's house to Osuntokun Junction, which was a distance of about one kilometer. Residents disclosed that the attackers parked their vehicles at the Osuntokun Junction, less than two kilometers to the Housing Police Station.
Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the area, Mr. Anthony Onoshoho, who came to Ladoja's house around 10'o'clock was overheard telling riot policemen that he was busy looking for where the shooting was taking place, having been roused up by the heavy gunshots.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in the state command, Mr. Olatunji Caulcrick, confirmed the development but said the police were still doubtful whether the splatters of blood were that of gunshot injuries.
Describing the splatters of blood in the street as "premeditated action," Caulcrick, who came to the scene around 3pm, after newsmen had visited his office to ascertain the number of casualty, disclosed that nobody had reported the incident to any police formation in the state and neither had his men told him about the traces of blood in the street.
One of the earlier callers to Ladoja's house on Tuesday, Chief Jacob Adetoro, described the foiled attack as unwarranted and uncalled for, saying it was politically motivated.
Adetoro, who was the former Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources under Ladoja administration as well as chairman, Steering Committee of Action Congress (AC) in the state, called on the Federal Government and police authorities to urgently find a lasting solution to the insecurity problem in the state.
"There is no need for me to point fingers at anybody but I know this one has political undertone and when it has political undertone, we know the position of Ladoja in Oyo State. We know the position of government and the allies of the government. So, there is no need to look at the people around this area. Ladoja has been living in this area for almost 20 years nobody has attacked him," Adetoro stated.