Please be warned the story contains a graphic photograph some may find offensive

By  IDOWU OLAIDE
Tears flowed freely Tuesday March 13, 2012 at the Oke-odo village situated between Olokopupa and Ajibawo Community, along Idiroko,  Ogun State, following the killing of a clergy man, identified as Pastor David Ogbolu and  a yet to be identified 7 year-old school boy by an armed gang said to be working for an unnamed land grabber.

Reports said the hoodlums stormed the sleeping village and started shooting rapidly at all directions.   A police Inspector identified as Salami Mohammed and another person said to be working with a construction company  named Mayowa Ette were caught in the reckless use of fire power and are critically lying at an undisclosed medical center where doctors are battling to save their lives.

The cause of the invasion and killing is still a mystery to the entire village, especially the bereaved.   This is even as the police have launched a high powered investigation into the dastardly act.

The hoodlums, Crime Guard learnt, stormed the Oke-odo village in two unmarked vehicles and motorcycles, shooting sporadically, during which the  school boy who was in a car with his mother was hit.   Report has it  that the  mother of the 7 year-old boy went to pick him from Faith Academy in Canaan land when the unfortunate incident happened.

But Crime Guard scooped that the Pastor said to be in charge of Christ Bible Gospel Church in the area, was the principal target of the hoodlums who were armed to teeth.  They reportedly laid ambush against  him and swooped on him while on a bike  with one of his co-workers.

*Injured Mayowa

The killer gang was also said to have shot the 50 year-old pastor after hacking him down.  Satisfied that he was dead, the hoodlums reportedly dumped his corpse in the bush while his relations searched fruitlessly for him.

But the search party by the police and family members as well as sympathizers later paid off after the decomposing body of the pastor was discovered in the bush where he was dumped.

The widow of the Pastor and a mother of five, Mrs. Felicia Ogbolu who spoke in tears said,  “Some hoodlums had earlier in the afternoon of Tuesday  13th of March 2012 invaded the entrance of the village , where they shot for hours  and after the shooting,  my husband was still seen near the road .

He told us that he was going to his Oga ‘s place and even told one of our children to bring money for him from the house.   After the people that shot in the afternoon had vanished from the scene , my husband went out with the hope that everything was over , but unknown to him, some people were  hiding and still waiting to kill him .

We called him   later and told him not to return home  that the clash had not finished but he told us that he was going out to see his boss . The information we got was that , when he was returning home , the people that killed him stopped the bike he was riding and started beating him.”

Continuing, the widow who lives in an uncompleted building in Oke-odo said: “My husband was at the back of the Okada , while  Segun,  one of his workers was riding.  . The people that killed him were holding and beating a resident of the village , when they sighted  the Okada. Reports said,  a member of the killer gang was said to have pointed at my husband saying,  that is him coming.

They immediately released  their victim and pouncing on my husband.   While he was being pummeled, neighbors  said they heard him screaming in Yoruba language  Baba Ojo ti pa mioo  {meaning  Baba Ojo  has killed me  …”

However, one of the villagers who craved anonymity attributed the invasion  to a long standing  battle for the ownership of a vast expanse of land in the village and the villagers had sent a letter to  the Inspector General of Police,  Muhammed  Abubakar threatening  not to return to the village  unless the perpetrators of the evil act are brought to book.

One of the survivors of the invasion, Mr. Mayowa Ette narrated his own ordeal saying,  “Our caterpillar was working and everything was going on well until around 3.00pm when many vehicles  came and almost one hundred thugs . Many people carrying guns came out  and started shooting into differnet directions.Immediately I saw them,  I started  running  but  I felt  a sharp  pain in  my head and my shoulder. That was all I remembered.”

Meanwhile, it was gathered that four persons including a resident of the village , identified as Baba Ojo and an alleged armourer of the gang  have been arrested by the police in the state . Men of the State CID are also on the trail of the   suspected perpetrators of the acts , including one Muibi Abayomi popularly known as Shaura, Mukaila Ayorinde  , Kamilu Shodeinde   , Akilapa , Nuru , Fatai  Babs  Seun alias SS and Fine Boy.

Police Inspector Salami attached to the  Special Anti Robbery Squad  SARS Ogun state  was shot while responding to a distress  call of the invasion.