Olojudo of Ido-Ajegunle Seat: Esa Oke Boils

Esa Oke, home town of former governor of old Oyo state, Chief Bola Ige, on Monday boiled over as unidentified gunmen ran riot across the community shooting sporadically at residents.

The incident, FreshNews learnt, is not unconnected with the installation of Prince Timileyin Ajayi as the Olojudo of Ido-Ajegunle by Gov Ademola Adeleke.

Trouble began on Friday when the people of Esa Oke voiced their opposition to the emergence of the new monarch by staging a peaceful protest.

According to some of the residents, Ido Ajegunle is not only a village under Esa Oke, it is the subject of the Owamiran of Esa Oke, Oba Adeyemi Adediran.

Moreover, they insist Prince Timileyin, an overseas based young man is not from the community but from Ijesa. However, the things took a turn for the worse on Monday when some yet to be identified individuals travelling in a bus said to be heading in the direction of the Esa Oke Police Division, started firing guns at the residents injuring several people.

Meanwhile several policemen are also reported to have been wounded when their convoy ran into an ambush laid by the yet to be identified assailants.

The state deputy command spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, who confirmed the incident, disclosed that seven policemen sustained gun shot wounds, one in the neck, and that they are currently receiving treatment.

According to her, the command has since deployed more of its personnel to the affected communities to restore law and order.

“When we heard that there was crisis in the community, we deployed our men to the communities, then they were ambushed. The policemen were trying to clear the tree that fell on their path when they were ambushed. The bullet hit one of them in the neck,” she explained.