By DAUD OLATUNJI
ABEOKUTA— Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State is said to have ordered for 30 Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC and a hundred Toyota hilux vans to assist the police to combat the rising crime wave in the state especially armed robberies.

Amosun in a statement through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mrs Funmi Wakama, said while receiving leaders of the Ijebu Bankers’ Forum in Abeokuta, promised that police and other security agencies in the state would be assisted in combating armed banditry and other violent crimes in the state.

According to him; “the 10 APC were the first set of 30 needed by the government to effectively cover the state, saying  “we have also approached some neighbouring states to lend us some of their APC to assist in confronting the security challenges we are facing here and they are enthusiastic in doing that.

These things don’t come cheap; a standard APC goes for between N85 million and N100 million and we will soon take delivery of 10 of them; we actually need between 30 and 35 to cover the whole state and ensure that robbers don’t find it easy in the state. We need to tool the APC as well as equip and motivate those that will operate them.”

NURTW crisis

Meanwhile, two lives were feared lost yesterday in Sango-Ota in the Ado-Odo/Ota local government area of Ogun state, after a fresh fracas between  factional members of  the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, said to be struggling for supremacy.

The violence which took place under the Sango over-head bridge was said to have ensued following attempt by one of the factions to take over Sango park yesterday morning.

The attempt was said to have been stoutly resisted by the other faction causing pandemonium and making people in the area scamper for safety.

About two weeks ago, no fewer than six people were reportedly killed in both Ijebu-Ode and Ifo, during the factions’ clash to control the union in the towns.

An eye-witness said the touts used dangerous weapons to scare away people and vandalized passers-by’s vehicles during the violence.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, state command, Muyiwa Adejobi, however confirmed only one dead. He also said three suspects have been arrested.

According to him, “the arrest is still going on. We have drafted our men to all the parks in the state to forestall any attack.”

When Vanguard visited the scene of yesterday’s mayhem, some people were seen with suspected gun-shots-wounds while some spots  in the area had blood stain as shops owners and other passers-by were trapped in the mayhem.

Also, it was learnt that the  atmosphere in   places  like Ijebu Ode, Ifo, and parts of Abeokuta, the state capital were tense ,while  there was  heavy presence of policemen in various parks in the state to curtail the violence.

Some schools in the areas affected by yesterday’s face-off  hurriedly shut their gates while residents were seen leaving towards Ota town and neighbouring   towns of  Ifo and Arigbajo.